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by unclassified_senpai



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst with a Happy Ending, Asexual Character, Can be funny sometimes i think, Character Development, Existentialism, Friends to Lovers, Friends to Something Warm, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Original Characters - Freeform, Post-Zombie Apocalypse, Science Fiction, Slow Romance, Solitude, Strangers to Friends, XiuChen - Freeform, also they dont dress like the people from dystopian novel covers, because i wrote this and when have i never had existentialism in my fics, clean sci-fi, like its not a gritty kinda sci-fi, mentions of other exo members - Freeform, questionable science
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2020-12-27 14:33:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 57,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21120341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unclassified_senpai/pseuds/unclassified_senpai
Summary: ‘How long have you lived here?’‘3 years.’ Minseok replies as though he didn’t know the date down to the hours, ‘What about you? How long have you been travelling?’Jongdae smiles over the cup of tea in his hands, ‘This is the first time in 5 years I’ve had tea.’‘Where are you going? There’s…there’s nothing left anymore.’‘But you can see it right? Things are starting to grow again.’‘It’s been decades since the Strain. Of course there's growth,’ Minseok replies, ‘We’ve always observed it.’‘Observed,’ Jongdae nods with a smile, still looking down at his teacup as though fascinated. ‘But not lived.’A sci-fi post-apocalypse not-quite-zombie au with XiuChen.





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_‘What’s going on? A Survivor?’_

_‘No. A-…it’s a child.’_

_‘What? Outside? How?!’_

_‘He said he came down from the north.’_

_‘The north?’_

_‘Yeah. He’s very shaken. He was with his parents and aunt. They didn’t make it I think.’_

_‘Oh…-oh no that’s-‘_

_‘He’s in the medical wing. They’re making sure-‘_

_‘Surely we have to keep him? He’s just a child.’_

_‘That’s what we’ve said. I don’t know what the council will say, we can’t increase our numbers if we’re hoping to leave in 15 years.’_

_‘Fuck- fuck, what if the council says no?’_

_‘I don’t want to think about it. We’re one of the last remaining Bunkers this side of the continent.’_

_‘Have they sent out inquiries?’_

_‘Yes. But the storm has been terrible- and maybe that’s what saved him. The Survivors didn’t get to him.’_

_‘…is there anything **we **can do?’_

_‘I’m thinking about it…-we’ll have to see tomorrow.’_

_‘Just a child.’_

_‘I know. Once the storm blows over, maybe we’ll find the answer.’_

*

The weather is nice today.

The gardens would probably enjoy the sunshine after so many days of rain. The solar panels, though quite well charged, would be able to restock on their reserves, and that was always a good thing. One of the bigger PuriZones was still in the horizon, but it would soon head down south, back towards the oceans.

55 years and Earth’s progress was still somewhat slow. But there was progress, and like Minseok was taught for as long as he could remember, any progress was good progress.

He sits up in his bed, stretching and yawning a little before rolling out of his bed.

He checks up on the Bunker’s systems from the night while he brushes his teeth on his C-Scan. All though he’s set up everything to ring an alarm at any unusual or strange reading, Minseok still makes it a continued point to read through all of the systems logs. He scans all of the surveillance footage, scrubbing through the timeline with a trained eye. He runs a diagnostic over the gateways, ventilation ducts, and filtration systems. Everything is working perfectly well and smoothly. Collapsing the flexible screen, Minseok pockets the cylindrical screen into his pocket and proceeds to wash his face.

It’s been 3 years, but Minseok does it anyways.

Grabbing his workout gear, Minseok exits his quarters and makes his way to the community kitchen. His pre-workout shake is perfectly cooled in the refrigerator. Minseok notes that he should start restocking on his neatly colour-coded and spaced out compressed-bottles soon. That would be fun because Minseok loves collecting fruit from the gardens. If there were any extra, he would make jam or simply enjoy a fresh and delicious fruit-salad with some honey from the Preserves. Just over two years ago he had an excess harvest of potatoes, and while Minseok loved the tubers, having it for every meal, nearly everyday for a solid 2 months, was a tad bit overwhelming. Ever since then, Minseok has been very careful about planting, harvesting, and scheduling what crops to plant and how many for each season.

Gulping down his shake, Minseok takes the longer trek to the gymnasium in the other side of the Bunker. To his delight, as the doors open up, the hallways are lit by the massive skylights, sunlight streaming in.

Minseok pauses under the first patch of sunlight, breathing in deeply and relaxing his shoulders.

It’s nice.

Maybe he can go to the observatory later, if the weather continued to be like this.

The gymnasium is also well lit, the wide windows opening up to a flat rocky terrain outside. The faint bits of green growing makes Minseok smile again.

Only 15 years ago, this area was a barren wasteland.

Now small shrubs, moss, and lichen grew over the rocky remains of a metropolis.

The wide windows had once been etched with the outline of the city that once stood here. So that if you stood at a certain position, you could see what the city would have once looked like.

But Minseok hated it. And in a bout of frustration, anger, and hurt, had erased the etchings.

He doesn’t regret it, because he can still see the outlines, now etched into his memory.

He quickly changes into his gym clothes and does a few warm-ups. Today was cardio, so rather than spend time on weights, Minseok hits the treaders and starts up a light jog. Quickly, he accelerates to a quick sprint before he amps up the speed to a full run. He shifts rhythms and pace for the next 30 minutes. To end his workout for the day, Minseok finishes with a few cool-down yoga stretches down in the hallway under the patches of sun.

He spends some time making funny hand shadows.

It gives him an idea for a small project he could indulge in.

Eager to start, Minseok takes a quick but refreshing shower in the gym, singing loudly over the rushing water.

His feet bare, Minseok strolls down the sunlit halls to the kitchens again. Leisurely, Minseok fixes himself up pancakes from scratch.

Minseok has a lot of time.

And while at first that had panicked him, had dislocated him from within his core, Minseok learnt to adapt to this sudden excess of time before him.

But he’s used it now.

The large stone grinder he had built through many videos and documents available in the archive had taken him almost 7 months to build. He grabs the container of wheat grains and measures a few cups, pouring it into the opening of the grinder.

It becomes something of a second workout.

The kitchen is bright, wide, and airy.

Minseok is accustomed to how wide and empty it is now, memories of the kitchen being filled with laughter, wafting aromas of a variety of foods, and dining in big groups is something from a distant past.

Minseok found out quickly enough that missing or longing for a time, for a life that could no longer exist, was pointless and harmful. It wasn’t an easy path or discovery, and Minseok had spiraled for months.

But he was now better, improved, and content. He begins rotating the top wheel of the grinder, enjoying the sounds and the sensation of the stone crushing the grain. It’s an odd sense of satisfaction, but one that Minseok thoroughly enjoys.

He’s even made fresh soymilk and tofu from this grinder. It’s, in many ways, a point of pride in his life.

When he makes almost 500 grams of flour, Minseok brushes the remainder down the stone lip to a bowl and covers the grinder with a clean cloth again.

The sun starts to shine inside the kitchen, allowing Minseok to switch off the counter-lights as he stirs up his mix. He’s heard about eggs being used in cooking before, and of meat being used- animal products were frequently used pre-Strain. But Minseok was born post-Strain, so he’s never missed it, never needed it. And from what he’s seen, of the misfortune that befell the creatures and humans in the past, Minseok is more than happy to have never grown in that era.

The pan sizzles when he pours in his mix. It smells delightful and Minseok’s stomach rumbles. He makes himself 5 pancakes, feeling rather indulgent, and saves the rest of the batter for later. He takes his plate and a cover, grabbing a container of water, and make his way to the gardens.

The gardens surrounded the Bunker as well as stayed in the center of the Bunker. While the outer garden rings were mainly massive trees and a series of greenhouse used to naturally filter the air after the first preliminary rounds, the inner garden rings contained vegetation used for consumption, medicine, and even aesthetic. This was also where the Preserves were. A carefully maintained colony of bees were cultivated painstakingly by Minseok. The Preserves was something of a personal inner-conflict victory that helped Minseok overcome his overwhelming loneliness. So he’s very fond of the bees.

And the birds.

Bees and birds. Birds and bees.

Minseok snorts to himself.

The Bunker had a small collection of birds, raised here to maintain and control the population of the bees and other insects, as well as, in many ways that Minseok considered cruel, to exist as indicators for potential outbreaks of the Strain.

He makes his way to the main entrance to the inner garden, pleased with the way the sun was now brightly shining. He just really enjoyed days the sun would actually shine down like this. It was rare, and very welcome.

Placing his plate down, Minseok taps along the lock-system, entering his ID and code. He picks up his plate again and stands at the entrance as the doors open up.

The sound of the birds chirping fills the air, faint rustling of trees, and humming of the bees in the distance. Minseok loves the way it smells in here. The inner garden rings, though smaller than the outer garden rings, was one of the larger gardens amongst the standard Bunkers, according to what Minseok has been told. They had just about 50 acres within the inner garden, and an additional 50 around the Bunker compound. Great glass domes, reinforced with plating and shields, layered with solar-panels and filters, covered each Bunker. While relatively flat and only 2 story high, the domes extended quite high to accommodate the trees. Each Bunker was designed to burrow down, with this Bunker going 12 floors down with living facilities, storage, development units, and mainly massive energy reserves. Minseok doesn’t like going down too often, only doing weekly tours to make sure everything was in place. He’s grown up, his whole life, in Bunkers, and Minseok doesn’t know if it’s an inherent aspect of Human nature, but he despises the idea of living below the earth.

It’s why he’s moved his entire living condition above ground, shifting and moving away office areas, redecorating, reorganizing, and readjusting whole units to create a sense of living space for himself above ground.

His favorite part was always the gardens. He always made it a point to come out here, every day, even as a child, just to drink in all the wild colours.

The Earth was once covered in this, he’s told. It’s hard to imagine; Minseok doesn’t quite trust the holographic imagery rendered in the Education Wing. It feels exaggerated. 

Putting his plate and water on top of the stone table, Minseok enters the vegetable patch.

There were tiny streams, built strategically to provide water through the gardens. And in the past, with gardeners aplenty, this place would have been a whole lot neater and maintained. But Minseok is a one-man army and he can’t watch over everything within the Bunker. So the tree roots remain untrimmed, crossing out over the soil, over the streams and sometimes over the stone floors. But Minseok doesn’t see a problem in this. He might need to be careful while walking out in the dark, but other than that, he liked the almost wild growth the gardens resonated with now.

He stops at the strawberry patch, plucking a handful. Placing it inside his covered dish and shooing away curious sparrows heads towards the orchards. He’s delighted to find that the apples were indeed ripe enough now. In a month or so, the orange trees would carry their fruits too.

Humming alongside the bees that were collecting pollen from the apple blossoms that still clung to the trees around the top, Minseok finds 3 shiny apples. One for breakfast, one for a snack later today, and the last one to study and archive in the Bunker database.

Getting honey from the Preserves was an easy task- something Minseok knows was a developed and mechanized system compared to the past. The hives were built on systems that strategically drained and stored the honey at timed intervals.

Today, he finds little bits of the comb in the honey he scoops out of the storage tank. He places some inside a tube for testing for later, and the other for his breakfast.

He washes the apples at the stream, pocketing the two extra as he heads back to his table.

The birds seemed more energized with the sun out, flitting overhead and even landing on the table where Minseok ate. He leaves little bits of strawberry and apples, grinning at the birds that dart in to grab them.

Minseok knows from his studies that this behavior wasn’t all natural. That not all birds casually approached humans. But these sparrows were born out of genetically spliced and lab-grown specimen from over 50 years ago. This generation of sparrows have never been outside the Bunker.

One lands on his head, clearly trying to gain a vantage point for more bits of fruit or even pancake. Minseok gently grabs it with a loose fist and guides it away.

‘Don’t make a nest on my head guys,’ he scolds in amusement as he pours the honey over his pancakes.

It’s a nice morning and Minseok stays out in the sunlit garden longer than normal.

He doesn’t have a specific routine or schedule. He found out that it wasn’t good for him- to live each day in continued monotony all by himself. While there were definitely certain set tasks that he needed to go over and complete, he never bound himself to specific schedules.

Minseok’s third favorite place in the entire Bunker was the lab unit. Granted it’s a little odd, but Minseok, having been raised by parents who were both bioengineers, the lab units are a nice background for most of his childhood memories. Minseok himself became a bioengineer and though there was nothing much left for him to do anymore, he still liked to come here, and input data on the produce from the Bunker, creating a nice chart of information within the archives. His mother had been in charge of analysis, developing and innovating the technology that allowed them to renew the fertility of the Bunker soil without having to bring in new soil from Strain-infected zones and run the risk of triggering the Strain within the Bunker.

This was a genuine worry, one that was the downfall of so many Bunkers in the early stages of the Strain outbreak. But Minseok’s mothers looked to nature as their guide, creating a system based on natural vegetation and their roles in re-nourishing the earth through their own cycles and reinforcing it with their technology.

Minseok runs analysis on the honey first before he looks around for the scrap-paper chute. Paper was a precious commodity, being reused and rewashed and renewed many times over. But all alone by himself, Minseok has more paper than he will ever need his whole life.

He’s folded 12 origami cranes by the time the centrifuge beeps quietly. He pipes the samples into 6 different tubes, each carrying different concentrations and different catalysts. He places it into the incubator, briefly watching as the main tray gently swirls the contents of the tubes before settling.

He pipes back the contents into small sample sheets before sliding it into the mechanical stage and peering in through the lens of the microscope. With some minor adjustments Minseok checks through each sample with ease and patience.

He writes the analysis down into the archive before moving on to the apple.

By the time he’s done with the archive, he’s folded 36 cranes.

He takes the sheets of paper and heads back up towards the still sunlit hallway leading to the gyms. He barely looks down at his hands as he folds the cranes, gazing out of the windows at the wide and rolling terrain outside.

It would be humid outside, but not hot. In a few months time, it would snow and with the PuriZones, it would rain as well, causing sleet to freeze all over the Bunker.

He’s chewing on his apple when the Roombas begin to roll out. They skirt around Minseok and the mess of paper around him, faintly beeping as the little globes vacuum and sterilize everything. Minseok stops one to check its inventory. He calculates that he’ll need to check and run analysis on their contents in about 3 days.

Minseok finishes folding a total of 200 cranes.

He strings them up, spending at least an hour looking for string, and he ties them up on the wiring overhead edging along the skyline. The sun is quite high now and slanting inwards. The shadows of the origami crane sway a little, casting a variety of shadows all over the place.

Minseok is _very _pleased with himself.

His stomach is rumbling again as he leisurely makes his way to the kitchen. He accesses the entertainment system first, tapping his ID over onto the screen mounted near the massive refrigerators.

‘_Continue reading “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell: Chapter 30 – the Book of Robert Findhelm”?’_

‘Yes please,’ Minseok replies, stepping to the side and opening the fridge.

‘_A Magician’s House is expected to have certain peculiarities, but the most peculiar feature of Mr Norrell’s house was, without a doubt, Childermass. In no other household in London was there any servant like him. One day he might be observed removing a dirty cup and wiping crumbs from a table like a common footman. The next day we would interrupt a room full of admirals, generals, and noblemen to tell in what particulars he considered them mistaken. Mr Norrell had once publically reprimanded the Duke of Devonshire for speaking at the same time as Childermass.’_

Minseok wheezes. 

He plates himself with sautéed mushrooms, greens, and tofu over bowl of fresh (as fresh as possible considering these came from the massive stores, harvested nearly 8 years ago from one of the Greenhouses over up towards the North) rice. He packs up a lunchbox with some additional side-dishes as well.

‘Pause- continue to the lounge,’ Minseok calls as he balances a tray.

‘_Understood.’_

The lounge was a nice wide space with comfortable chairs and well, lounging seats. It’s also become something of Minseok’s own workshop. Living alone and having to singularly maintain a massive Bunker lead to a lot of minor things that needed fixing.

Minseok wasn’t very good, but he could make do with the minor things or with appliances that came with detailed instructions and guides. And luckily so far, nothing major has happened before. Today his task comes in the form of a malfunctioning WinWipe, one of the tube-like flexible cleaners that both cleaned and made sure no cracks, leaks, or damages were on the massive domes that covered the Bunker. Minseok had discovered it a few days ago in the outer garden rings, hanging on a low branch, spluttering sparks.

It took him 3 days of research and reading to feel confident to tackle today.

His audiobook playing next to him, Minseok takes apart the WinWipe and occasionally pauses to scoop some food into his mouth, nearly choking at funny moments in the book.

One of the reasons why he made the lounge his workspace was mainly because of the view. This was the highest point in the Bunker other than the Observatory. It looks over the dome and down into the trees below and all the way over to the compound walls. And on a clear day like this, Minseok can see over the wide rocky terrain and even the distant grey hills.

As a child, he often wondered what lay past the hills.

His mother had come from a Bunker down south, crossing the ocean when the Bunker she grew up in was taken over by the last recorded breakout of the Strain. But he has no idea of what lay up north. He’s met no one from the north.

He concentrates on the task at hand, keeping the manual close by as he carefully pries open the circuit board.

He’s not finished for the day, but Minseok doesn’t let himself get preoccupied by singular tasks for more than 3-4 hours. He puts away his tools and utensils, and grabs his now empty dishes and heads back to the kitchen.

‘Continue at the observatory,’ Minseok says.

The audiobook pauses in the middle of a colourful dialogue, heavy with accents Minseok is only familiar with due to audio books and old movies pre-Strain.

Entire populations of people fell to the Strain, wiping out entire species of animals, plants, every manner of living beings.

Earth was wasteland, a graveyard filled with only the shock of memories and a past that could no longer be reclaimed for the future.

And with many sacrifices, many _many _years of care and a focus that drove the remaining civilizations on Earth to where Minseok now lived, humanity was able to somewhat live once more. But it was futile – Earth was healing, but it would take too long.

The duration of how long it would take to heal Earth, to have her back to what it once was to house humanity, _living_, and a hope for the future was too far away. They did not have the _human _resources to wait it out here on Earth.

And while Earth was so terribly ravaged, the colonies over in Trappist struck a breakthrough.

It almost felt as though it was timed- all destined to happen this way.

And so slowly, bit by bit, they left.

And the last of the ships left 3 years ago.

They’re supposed to come back for Minseok. But he’s not naïve to believe in it.

It was his decision, in the end, and Minseok knows he won’t set foot on the colonies in Trappist. And he’s fine with that.

Grabbing his lunchbox and a canteen of strawberry tea he recently brewed and made, Minseok makes his way to the Observatory.

The Observatory was outside of the Bunker, but connected via long and heavily secured tunnels that ran underground and above ground. The Bunker itself was set inside a barricaded compound- a preliminary precaution against the ravaged survivors of the Strain.

It was a sad term- Survivor. Minseok has seen them from the Bunker. He’s seen the injuries from their mutated forms on his mother’s shin.

The Strain infected all living forms, corrupting them, turning them rabid and wild. Minseok used to have nightmares as a child- nightmares that included Survivors breaking through the compound and overwhelming the Bunker.

And while the decades wore them down, the Strain continued to mutate within many of the still existing creatures, completely changing their DNA, mutating their forms and transforming them in this new step of unnatural evolution.

Minseok remembers the strange documentations of such creatures- of massive 4-legged beasts once known as elks now roamed in quiet nightly herds, their antlers like tree branches. The forests they lost now grew over their heads, trapping any and all that strayed in.

Minseok had watched a herd late at night, just outside the compound walls, moving quietly and slowly. They didn’t move away until Minseok took the reluctant trip to the compound towers to set off small but strong static charges along the walls.

They left.

But the Strain they left behind stayed until one of the PuriZones washed over a few days later.

He takes the elevator down to U1. The trams quietly pull in when Minseok types in his ID, the doors opening for him in this 24 seated carriage. The tunnels mainly ran underground, only coming above ground because the coastal rocks were too thick to drill through.

Even though he’s within the compound, Minseok always tenses when the tram pulls upwards, the sunlight filtering through narrow but long windows allowing in light as well as a good view of the grounds outside. It was normally quite dismal when it rained, which was why Minseok hated travelling to the Observatory when it rained. But the sun was out, the terrain outside gentle and green and fresh looking.

The Observatory was quite far from the Bunker- but that was because it was quite close to the cliffs overlooking the oceans down south.

The beach was not a place Minseok liked either.

Broken remains of old towns, buildings, attempts at drilling for oil all washed ashore like great animal carcass. They’re washed up along the shore, the salt of the water taking over to form layered crystals. It wasn’t until a decade ago that barnacles finally grew on the remains.

But what was unsettling in a sense was the way the sand was blackened, as though it too had died with the Earth. Minseok knows that some places naturally had black or dark coloured sand. But he knows from studying the history of the Bunker’s location that the shoreline in this area naturally had light coloured sand.

And though barnacles and other weeds now washed up and grew around the coast, the sand remained dark.

He arrives at the Observatory in 18 minutes as usual. He still takes the precautions he was taught since a young age despite the entire area being rigged to immediately alert him if there is any disturbances in the readings or charts. He stops at the tram-station, going through every live-surveillance feed and rereading the analysis before stepping through the large doorways into the open-structured Observatory.

It was a circular structure at 3 floors with nearly no internal walls. The whole observatory was wide open. According to the history of the architecture, the place was modeled loosely after lighthouses.

Another reason why Minseok disliked coming to the Observatory while it rained was because here, his isolation was even more glaringly obvious. And even though he’s come to terms with it, had actually volunteered for it, it’s still overwhelming to think about.

But with the sun out, and the ocean looking quite blue for a change, Minseok feels quite good. He starts to set up the massive telescope.

He doesn’t switch on the lights as the sun starts to set. Instead he finishes setting up the telescope and drags a table to a good point near the massive window frames and watches the sunset.

The horizon over the ocean is a blaze of colours that Minseok drinks in. It’s nearly the same hue as his strawberry infused tea.

The light fades, the sky turning darker with every minute that goes by, and slowly, the stars illuminate the night sky.

Minseok exhales slowly.

He’s always loved the stars, always loved looking up, imagining himself as light streaming through the cold of space.

He inputs the coordinates he’s memorized, and the telescope aims and adjusts, focusing on Trappist, 49 light-years away.

His telescope is not powerful enough to show him the whole system, with each individual planet. But it’s enough to show him the haze of light that represented the region of Trappist.

It gets too cloudy to continue stargazing, lightning flashing through the distant gloom.

Minseok continues to watch for a while longer as the wind starts to pick up, the ocean getting restless.

Minseok once obsessively kept track of the storms and rain, so that he could time his visits to the Observatory. But he’s stopped doing so for a year now, instead accepting the weather at any given day as it came to him.

He makes sure everything is organized back and cleared up before turning his back to the incoming storm.

By the time he’s back in the Bunker, the storm has hit them. He peers out of the balcony overlooking the inner garden rings. It’s funny to him that the sparrows would start returning to their nest, being inactive whenever it stormed like this, even though the rain never came inside the Bunker, even though for countless generations, these birds never really experienced rain.

But maybe it did make sense, because even though Minseok has never experienced a storm personally- has never felt the rain fall on his skin, has always lived inside a Bunker that has been sustained to reflect perfect living condition, he shivers at the sound of the wind howling, his bones aching from deep within.

‘Archive report for Kim Minseok ID KM-2603185.’

The screen lights up, the recorder activating at once. Minseok sits at his desk under a window that looks through some of the thickest parts of the trees in the outer garden rings.

‘All systems are running smoothly. Samples for produce from the inner gardens are healthy and show no sign of irregularities. Observatory is running well as per usual.’ Minseok pauses. ‘The sun was shining today after 4 weeks and 2 days. The terrain is growing.’ 

Minseok changes into pajamas and washes up, making sure to thoroughly wash his feet before he settles into bed.

‘_Continue reading?’_

‘No,’ Minseok yawns, turning over to find a comfortable position. ‘Play something from Playlist 11 please. Volume at 2.’

‘_Understood.’_

*

Minseok is on the third day of fixing the WinWipe and he’s happy to find that he’s making excellent progress.

‘Okay so _now _you’re working right? Just needed to change this little bit of copper wiring?’ Minseok tuts, putting away the soldering wand and blowing on the cooling metal. ‘Now I just need to rewire your magnetic charges.’

Minseok reaches for the manual again to find the instruction on the magnetic charge strips that covered the WinWipe, now on chapter 41 of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell when a small alarm beeps from his C-Scan.

Minseok jumps a little, quickly unlocking and pulling the screen out from the cylinder and checking on his notification.

He reads over the lightly pulsing alarm on the upper tab of his screen quickly, already standing from his seat.

Something was at the Gate 7B towards the Eastern compound region.

It’s not too surprising or rare to have the occasional straggling animal or Survivor brush up against the compound walls and gates.

Minseok sits back down again and finds the surveillance controls. It takes a moment because there were a lot of cameras at the compound walls. Minseok finds the correct one and he waits for the feed to load, stretching his back a little from being bent over the WinWipe for quite a while now.

The footage shows nothing, and Minseok guesses it was probably an animal that scampered off. But he catches movement in the corner of the footage. He pulls up the controls of the camera that was providing the feed and redirects its axis to twist down and to the left.

To his surprise, the thing that was setting off the alarm was not an animal or Survivor.

It’s an android.

The C-Scan nearly falls out of his hands but he’s able to regain hold.

All of the androids in this Bunker had been taken for the journey to Trappist, to man the ships while most of the crew settled in periodic Delta sleep. Minseok had been offered an android, but he had refused. He wouldn’t need one- it wasn’t important or necessary to him. Besides, he was not an android maintainer. If anything were to happen to the android, Minseok wouldn’t know how to fix it.

Androids were an expensive but extremely useful invention developed some 50 years ago. Which is why it’s absolutely mind-boggling to see one randomly strolling about.

Minseok doesn’t know what to do.

He’s never, once in his life, ever imagined this to ever happen.

Androids were designed for a designated task, for a specific purpose. This android seemed to be a ship-builder, judging by its design and built. They were the most durable, strongest, and most versatile of androids. Also the most expensive.

So Minseok doesn’t understand what it’s doing out in the wild.

The android takes a step back. And then steps forward, hand raised and knocks.

It was _knocking_.

Minseok’s nose nearly touches the screen of his C-Scan, lost for words.

The android then slowly makes its way backwards, before turning all together and finally walking away.

Minseok follows its movement for as long as the cameras in his disposal can track him, and then he rushes to the small telescopes mounted around the wide windows of the lounge and catches sight of the android, a small figure in the rain.

‘What the…’ Minseok exhales out quietly, watching until the android completely disappears from view.

Later that night when Minseok records his daily archive report he pauses for so long, the recorder automatically stops. He starts it up again, and reports the appearance of the android.

‘The android appeared to be in relatively decent condition though quite worn,’ Minseok recalls carefully, ‘It has seen years of service, but has also been maintained. Though it’s unclear how long its been out in the world. Once the storm blows over, maybe I’ll find an answer.’

*


	2. 01100010 01101100 01101111 01101111 01101101

_ ‘Isn’t he the child they found? Why would they bring him in now of all times?’ _

_ ‘You can’t say things like that-‘ _

_ ‘-what about  _ ** _my _ ** _ children-‘ _

_ ‘He’s dirty-‘ _

_ ‘Don’t say that- he’s suffered more than we could imagine. He was cleared by the medical unit and he’s safe. Don’t spread unnecessary lies and fears among the children.’ _

_ ‘Can I talk to him?’ _

_ ‘I think he would like that honey, go speak to him.’ _

_ ‘Can I take him some of the juice?’ _

_ ‘Yeah you can take mine.’ _

_ ‘Hi! Do you want some juice? It’s freshly made!’ _

_ ‘…what is it?’ _

_ ‘It’s made from strawberries! It’s really nice. It’s one of my favourite drinks.’ _

_ ‘It’s nice. Thank you.’ _

_ ‘You’re welcome!’ _

_ ‘Will I grow big like you?’ _

_ ‘I’m sure! Ma says eating and drinking well will make me grow taller! So it should be the same for you!’ _

_ ‘Is there a lot of food?’ _

_ ‘Ma always says we will always have enough.’ _

_ ‘Really?’ _

_ ‘Mm, why?’ _

_ ‘…we- uh-‘ _

_ ‘Hey, don’t cry, it’s okay.’ _

_ ‘I’m sorry.’ _

_ ‘We didn’t- didn’t have a lot.’ _

_ ‘I’ll always make sure you have enough okay? If you’re hungry come find me.’ _

_ ‘…I- are you sure? Will there be enough?’ _

_ ‘Yes! I promise you, okay? Not just food, I’ll make sure you have anything you want.’ _

*

There’s a change in his schedule.

At first Minseok thought it was a fluke.

But after nearly a month, Minseok nearly always finds himself waiting for the android to appear every 3 days.

And without fail, the android appears at the same gateway at the Eastern barrier, normally towards the evening. 

Today, Minseok suits up, wearing the bio-suit to collect samples from outside the Bunker compound for analysis. Minseok doesn’t exactly enjoy this monthly excursion. Maybe it was something from how he was raised, or the stories of Survivors or maybe simply the fact that he was highly aware of the dangers outside the Bunks.

But he wants to keep a faithful archive of records as well as keep track of any readings and or analysis of his immediate environment. 

It’s a pretty clear day- the rain was light and the winds just a moderate breeze. The temperature readings puts the morning at a decent 21 degrees. Summer wasn’t too bad- but on certain days after the rain, humidity would blow up and it wasn’t the best time to be in a bio-suit. 

Stepping into the prep-room, Minseok waits the required 10 seconds before the room momentarily turns vacuum before the doorways beep quietly and open with a quiet whoosh. 

There had been no sightings or indicators of any Survivors so Minseok knows that it’s not required to carry out his stunner but he does so anyways. Precaution was more than just a safety protocol but also a means of survival- he remembers when he was a young teen, how a small team of analysts had gone to collect samples after being cleared for the area. 5 left, but only 2 returned.

Minseok wasn’t going to go out far- he was staying in the compound, within the perimeters of the Bunker’s surveillance grid, and within the range of the defensive security program. 

Minseok is very aware of the fact that he was responsible for his own safety and that there was no safety-net in the form of other people to watch his back for him.

No matter how many times he’s done this, it’s always somehow inherently strange to step foot outside in the open. The soil below his feet is harsher, softer, familiar, strange- his body feels disproportionately large and at the same time, incredibly insignificant as the sky opens up above him without any constraints. 

He looks away from the sky and down to his feet. The soil is dark, riddled with moss and tiny sprouts here and there. Minseok carefully chooses a path over some of the firmer and less-soggy patches of soil, keeping an eye out for good samples. He doesn’t rush- Minseok takes his time, occasionally squatting down to look closely at certain pebbles or messy growth. About an hour or so later, he finds a fresh and green bed of moss with nearly invisible tiny moss-flowers next to a scattered but large pile of what appeared to be the charcoal-like excrement or remains of a Survivor.

He places his compact sample kit on the ground over some scattered pebbles before circling the area. There are a few more patches here and there, and Minseok is pleased with his findings.

Like all things in nature, the circle of life takes place despite and against any other force - be it man-made or even within nature. 

And this applied to Survivors as well.

When they died, their decomposition practically reverts them back to what they once used to be. As though in death, they were finally free of what killed them from within. And many found a sense of peace in this- a sense of acceptance for what happened. 

Minseok has no specific opinion on this fact. He accepts it as part of his reality- a part of nature he grew up in. All he knew was that he needed to collect these samples so that he could compare past readings with the new ones to check on how earth was slowly healing itself. 

The Strain, or what remained of it, or what was mutated of it, however, was a different story. Observing such a growth, or waiting for their development, posed too many risks and Minseok would much rather have any quantity of Strain infected particles immediately decontaminated or simply removed. Small quantities like this was not a major issue. The rain would simply wash it away. So he’s able to safely ignore it for now.

Opening his kit, Minseok digs around the area to gather the soil sample. He works on an estimated 5 inch-square grid and collects bits of the soil before sealing them and labeling them carefully. 

He’s doubly careful when handling the remains of the Survivor. He can’t tell what it might have once been- he’s just glad that by the time he was able to make sense of the world around him, human Survivors had been very few in numbers and nearly almost all gone.

Despite Minseok’s hyperawareness of his surroundings, he’s surprised to find that it’s almost dusk by the time he’s done. 

It makes him uncomfortable, the idea of being outside after dark. The lights of the Bunker gleam at him through the purpling light and it makes him feel a little better. The rain is nothing more than a weak sprinkle as Minseok seals and secures his kit. 

When he makes it back to the prep-room, Minseok exhales out deeply, his nervousness ebbing away slowly. Even though nothing had happened, it was still unsettling to be outside. 

He waits another 10 seconds as the vacuum settles in and this time accompanied by a strong shower-jet from the walls, ceiling and floor. He waits for the excess to drain off before a blast of wind finishes off the remaining disinfectants. He places his kit into a port that opens to its own version of a prep-room to decontaminate the case before Minseok can take it to the labs. Minseok then stands at the UV-Scan to make sure no alien virus or antigen remained and he’s cleared to the bio-chamber. 

He’s gratefully not sweaty as he takes off the bio-suit. He once had to  _ peel  _ his suit off of himself and Minseok was very quick to immediately get rid of the bio-suit he wore in the shredder.

Dramatic? Yes.

But it had been a very trying time. 

But he’s better now. No more impulse shredding bio-suits. He still has the immediate urge to shower and that he doesn’t ignore. Bio-suits had a funny smell- like plastic and disinfectants and something else that wasn’t altogether unpleasant but wasn’t pleasant either. 

By the time he’s freshly showered and at the labs, Minseok hums along with the music playing, setting down his dinner tray to the side before heading for his kit. 

To minimize potential outbreaks or contamination, even after being disinfected, all kits and or sample-containers were transported through tubes that expanded through the Bunker in an extensive network. 

These preventive measures had once been criticized, according to what Minseok had studied. People protested that it took up too much time, resources, or were completely useless. Some even claimed that it took over real working people jobs and or positions. But this is how Minseok has lived and this is what he knows. 

Security, precaution, and care. 

These were some of the most important and prioritized practices applied to life at this time and day. Though in many ways, Minseok sometimes thinks it might not be all that necessary. 

He takes out each sample container and neatly fills the tray before sliding it in shut into the contained-space to extract their contents. Taking a bite of his sandwich, Minseok then slides his hands into the rubber gloves extending into the incubator and tips the contents into separate petri dishes. 

‘Analyzing sample 32 from container 11,’ Minseok calls out quietly for the AI in the incubator to digitally label each petri. Small prints are quickly lasered onto the bottom of each petri. Pulling his hands out, Minseok lets the incubator finish labelling all of the samples as he munches on his sandwich. 

And without fail, a quiet alarm goes off.

Minseok quickly rushes to one of the built-in stations and activates the computers there. The screen blinks to life, taking a few long seconds to load the live-feed from the security cameras.

It’s the android again.

Minseok had done his research.

This specific android was called the X-21 and as he suspected, was designed to be used in constructing ships and or satellites off-planet. It had been decommissioned a few years ago, as there was no need for construction androids of that caliber anymore. Minseok suspects that this android may have been one of the few remaining ones either overlooked by their manufacturers or in some people’s case, unable to discard or destroy them due to a personal connection. Minseok has seen that happen before and knows full-well how many people sometimes preferred the company of their android over others.

The rain had picked up over the evening and the android is a little blurred in the footage. It stands there at the gate again.

But tonight, unlike other nights, and unlike any other time, the android leaves behind something.

Intrigued, Minseok zooms into the footage to look at the item the android seemingly dropped behind by mistake. He’s not sure what to make of it. The footage is too grainy to pinpoint exactly what it was and it’s raining too much to really focus on the object. 

The incubator beeps to alert Minseok that it’s done. 

Minseok goes to sleep that night feeling strangely excited for the coming morning.

*

It’s an old but well-kept multi-function cog. 

Minseok had donned on the dreaded bio-suit just to retrieve this “present” as he’s mentally dubbed it.

Minseok wasn’t sure what to expect. 

But somehow he’s incredibly endeared. Or possibly just incredibly starved of interaction he has not created for himself. 

He makes sure to disinfect the “present” and examines it carefully.

The analyst in him wants to take samples and study the material and try and pinpoint where this cog could’ve come from. But the very human, very alone, and very isolated part of him wants to treasure this and keep it just for himself. 

And Minseok, for the first time in years, takes the little cog, ignores the analyst and incubators, and pockets his present.

He settles in the garden with a small soldering kit, some tools, a few fallen branches he found after a search of the grounds in the inner garden, and a sand-cloth. He makes a few measurements before cleanly sawing through the branches in equal lengths. Then he gets rid of the harder discoloured bark before smoothing down the remaining branches with the sand-cloth. He goes out to the gardens again, but this time heading for the outer gardens to collect some of the more dry and reedy grass found around some of the trees. He finds a decent amount and braids a few of the reeds into sturdy coils by the time he returns to the inner garden. 

He creates a sort of pronged frame with a mount in the bottom to support the little cog up. Taking a flat remaining piece of wood, Minseok picks up the soldering wand and with care, slowly burns out the date of his present. 

It felt fitting to have it framed. 

It stands out in his shelves – an addition created by forces and movements he had no control over, no hand in. 

And maybe this could be classified as borderline worrisome, that he would take to heart something that was somehow trivial. 

But it makes Minseok feel settled- it makes him realize how somehow, despite having fallen into a routine, despite having acclimatized to where his life was headed in this Bunker, and having accepted it for many a quiet years; it makes Minseok feel less alone. 

The lights under the shelving panels glow softly, illuminating the wooden frame amidst the other objects scattered neatly around it. Picture frames, letters embossed and framed, toy figurines, and pebbles scatter the place. And everything feels complete now –  _ coloured _ , somehow. 

Minseok takes a step back to look at his shelves, smiling to himself. 

He’s shaken from his peaceful state when an alarm goes off.

Minseok  _ knows  _ the android’s schedule. Knows that this is not supposed to be the android- but what else could it be?

He quickly sprints to his desk and pulls up his screen, quickly accessing the surveillance footage. 

The Eastern gate perimeters were triggered and a full body shudder takes over Minseok’s body as an aggressive mass of Survivors push against the brightly crackling defensive fencing. 

He’s suddenly attacked by visions of the fence breaking, and this massive collection of Survivors flooding into the compound in terrifying speeds. 

They’re a massive number- almost indiscernible in their numbers with how packed in they were. A mass of flesh coloured corrupted and writhing shapes; countless years of growth, mutation, and decay blanketing them in flesh-like bark. Minseok almost can’t look at them- other hordes or packs, or even the mutated ones existed closely with each other, didn’t appear  _ this  _ constrained to each other. It’s strangely fascinating but mostly horrifying. 

And it’s mainly because Minseok knows deep down that these were once humans. These Survivors were once humans. 

And while most were destroyed, rotted, or contained, he’s not too surprised to see one in such a massive number. 

After the Strain, Minseok learnt of how so many of the telecommunications, interplanetary based directive and connections were broken or completely destroyed. How ships at sea were lost, and when they returned decades later, carried with them hosts of unobserved mutations that broke out into the land like tidal waves. Or how tunneling and boring companies trapped themselves in, Straining the earth from within. 

Minseok studied the human Survivors as part of his education of course, and while this Bunker was established in one of the safest and cleanest parts of the Earth, they still saw minor activities involving the Survivors. 

And as far as Minseok has been aware, aggressive hordes or packs were rare.

And this specific pack are incredibly aggressive.

And it’s strange because every single Survivor pack or horde Minseok has studied and observed has normally run off after being electrocuted a few times. But it’s been more than a few minutes and they’re pushing on- some crazed urge still pushing through their Strained minds. 

It’s horrifying to watch- the distorted faces and forms writhing until they blacken and slow down, smoke billowing around their dying forms. 

A new worry strikes Minseok- when Survivors died, the Strain that existed in them is released. And while it’s normally not in high amounts, it was still enough to affect its surroundings. And while the compounds were not exactly 100% cleared or purified despite years of establishing and releasing the PuriZone, it could completely destabilize or disrupt the growth Minseok has been studying and recording.

If the strain spreads far enough through the compound, the long years it took for the moss and tiny shrubs to grow would be wiped out. 

He needed to get them away from this area, distract them away, into a safe distance from Minseok’s carefully maintained compound.

Survivors were attracted to smell and movement. 

Minseok would need to deploy the launchers designed for this very purpose. The launchers were situated at intervals at the outermost gates, firing with speed, reaching a great distance. They were packed with scent-laced compounds, fat-based, and propelled through the air to mislead or redirect any dangerously close Survivor packs. They were also packed with concentrated sprays similar to the PuriZones, making sure to eliminate attracted targets. But the concentration was excessively high, causing sterilization in the area for extended periods of time. 

Minseok nearly slips as he runs out of his room and into the control-unit rooms, spread and placed all over the Bunker for ease of access in case of emergencies. And this was definitely an emergency. He sprints through the empty hallways, his bare-feet making short and sharp sounds against the cold floors. While the Southern control-unit rooms were closer, and Minseok could still access the Eastern controls from there, he needs to watch with his own two eyes. 

Even if the Survivors were to break through the compound, Minseok knows they wouldn’t be able to breach the Bunker itself. 

But he can’t allow the Strain to concentrate and amass in this quantity so close to the Bunker, and after so many years of careful purification and care. 

The control-unit rooms were located higher and bordering the edge of the outer-gardens, giving a clear view of the environment surrounding the Bunker. The elevator silently and quickly moves him up. 

‘ _ Eastern perimeter sustaining critical damage.’ _ A cool quiet voice informs him over the alarm system.

Minseok impatiently waits for the doors to open into the control-unit room. It’s a decent sized space, the walls were nearly all glass, allowing for an uninterrupted view over and around the Bunker. 

Minseok had once roomed in the control-unit rooms in the past, watching the skies, watching for a return- waiting for a way home. 

And how he stands in the room, looking down at a stomach churning amount of Survivors pushing against the Eastern border. 

Frozen, Minseok can’t look away, can’t tear his eyes away from what appeared to be nearly 500 churning masses pushing at the Eastern walls. And in the back of his mind, something reminds him that this was the very same location where the android had dropped his “present”. 

Minseok takes a deep breath, shaking himself before seating himself on the high-perch. The safety straps wrap around his chest and thighs before the perch tilts, allowing him to face the compounds below without any strain and taking a hold of the controls. 

He could easily destroy them from here- fire rounds of explosives. But he can’t afford to cause major damage to their walls- not when he didn’t have the resources to rebuild the walls.

‘Activate launchers type A to mainframe,’ Minseok orders, quickly eyeballing and calculating where he should mislead this massive horde of Survivors. 

‘ _ Activated.’ _

Minseok fires. Canons situated at the walls shudder with the force it propels the launchers. 

It takes a mind-numbing 4 minutes in total for the Survivors to leave the still crackling fence and make their crawling way towards the distance, closer to the low rolling hills.

Minseok wipes at his sweaty face with a shaking hand as the perch sits him upright again. 

‘Damage assessment please,’ Minseok calls out, voice unstable. For a moment his vision swims in front of his eyes, breaths coming out in shuddering exhales. 

‘ _ 3 of the main fence-cables have sustained some damage. 5 minor tears through the fibre-mesh.’  _ A mechanical voice announces. ‘ _ Immediate repairs are highly recommended.’ _

‘Deploy security measure Alpha 2,’ Minseok says in his clearest tone, swallowing hard, ‘Send emergency signal to the closest circuiting PuriZone.’

‘ _ Understood.’ _

With shaky legs, Minseok gets off the perch, pausing at the elevator to catch his breath.

Alone like this, there was nothing Minseok could do to ever prevent a large scale attack. Alone like this, Minseok would never be able to control and secure the Bunker if the worse were to happen. He’s lived peacefully for a while now, in control, in relation to his situation, his surroundings, his reality. 

But that could all be taken from him if he’s not careful.

  
  


*

  
It takes him nearly 4 days to finish the repairs on the fence.

The first day had been a strenuous and tedious thorough decontamination of the area, with the rain pounding on top of him. Using a strong non-conductive scraper, Minseok scrapes off the charred and burnt remains of the Survivors. There are bodies about the place of course but the rain would take care of it. One of the first things Minseok did was to alert one of arriving PuriZone of the situation and sending in one of the emergency codes specifically for situations like this once. 

It would now be stationed over the area for the next week, with a steady downpour. 

Minseok had made sure that the redirected pack of Survivors were indeed properly dealt with, making sure to keep a continuous surveillance over them. The concentrated sprays had worked, though a few were at a distance and were able to escape the initial launch of sterilization. However, the rain would slow them down enough, and in this downpour, overwhelm them. But Minseok is still painfully alert, eyeing his surroundings constantly and sweating inside his bio-suit despite the cold of the rain. Minseok makes sure, even amidst his panic and fears, to take a few samples. He’d been too shaky during the first day, and had compromised his samples. With shaking hands he had to confiscate the whole kit in the biohazard waste disposal. For good measure, Minseok had confiscated his bio-suit as well, and had gone through a painfully long process of making sure he was clean. His skin raw, eyes burning, and the back of his throat overwhelmingly dry, Minseok had gingerly stepped out of the decontamination chamber, limbs like jelly and his panic overwhelming.

He’s frozen in bed, clutching the little cog in his hands, taking long calming breaths. His hair is a little frazzled and dry against his scalp, irritating the skin around his neck and ears. He turns the cog over and over in his hands, feeling the teeth of the cog, counting repeatedly under his breath with each turn. 

In the morning he ties the cog in a length of cord and places it around his neck. 

Minseok regards it as a form of talisman- a desperate attempt at reaching for stability in this situation, Minseok knows, but it helps in keeping him calm, to feel the ridges of the cog against his skin under the fabric of his shirt. 

The second day is better but still difficult. Working on an electric fence while it rained would have been regarded as incredibly foolhardy but Minseok keeps this specific segment of the fence blocked from within the mainframe and instead activates the flood-gates over this stretch of the wall. 

He was once told that this area had once seen many landslides and even a few tsunamis. Which was why these gates were built. But it leaves him feeling a little blind- but at least he wasn’t in anyway exposed to the outside.    
The third day is better. Minseok feels better, his hands are stable, his concentration better and the fence nearly all completely repaired. The rain was still steady, and Minseok has to lay down ramps around him so that he didn’t slip and sink into the muddy soil. He takes another sample, realizing that this was an extremely ideal time to take note on the potential progress of the Strain over-time, post-Strain. 

He would have been done, if it weren’t for the fact that due to the heavy rain clouds over head and looming PuriZone, it got darker a lot faster. 

‘Check stability of the fence?’ Minseok calls out as he stands towards the edge of the ramp, squinting through the rain-splattered panel of his bio-suit helmet. 

He hears the humming of electricity return, no sparks fly out and no electricity leaks out either. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Minseok calls out, ‘Deactivate flood-gates please.’

With a heavy groaning sound that only lasts a second, the flood gates quietly sink downwards. Minseok carefully looks all over the newly repaired fence, feeling a rush of satisfaction. 

This rush of satisfaction is very quickly replaced by shock as he comes face to face with the android.

It’s a little taller than Minseok, very worn, and head tilted as though curious. 

Minseok is frozen. He doesn’t know what to do. 

His hand had flown straight to his stunner but he didn’t engage, fingers stuck and immobile.

They stand there in the rain, and Minseok is acutely aware of the rainfall, of the way the light rapidly declines, and the way the temperature drops, making Minseok shiver.

The android just continues to watch him, tilting its head once more as though wondering what Minseok was doing. 

After a moment, Minseok finds himself recovering his limbs, his body- he takes a step. Neither forward nor backwards, just shifts his weight a little. 

The android follows his movement, pausing, and then giving him a wave. 

Minseok also gives a small wave. 

The android then…does a small flapping dance?

Laughter, bordering on hysteria, escapes Minseok in breathless and almost silent pants. 

Taking a small step forward, being mindful of the fence, Minseok activates his microphone and with a stammer asks, ‘Where did you come from?’.

Most androids had some form of communication device filled with a database of appropriate responses depending on their job. 

But Minseok is met with silence.

He’s not too surprised- this was an extremely old android, it was possible that it was only functional enough to walk around and nothing more. 

‘Hi,’ Minseok says again, giving it a wave.

After a moment, the android waves again.

‘Are you just…are you lost?’ Minseok asks again.

He doesn’t know what he’s hoping to get from this interaction. What he’s hoping to achieve. But he pushes on anyways.

‘Are you looking for repairs? Maintenance?’ Minseok asks again. 

The android does not reply, does not respond in any way, just simply looking around the place occasionally before turning back to Minseok.

‘Do-…do you want to come in?’ Minseok asks tentatively, pointing behind him. ‘I don’t know if I can repair you…if you need repairs.’

The android looks up, as though following Minseok’s movements before looking down at him again. 

Still no response. 

Minseok shuffles a little, ignoring the way it was now definitely very dark, and walking back was going to be a pain, he asks another question.

‘Why are you here?’

The android, as though in response, unlocks its storage cavity in its chest and takes out a rusty and broken spanner. It throws it to the ramp before Minseok’s feet.

Another present.

Minseok squats a little, bending down to pick it up. 

He can just about make out the serial code to the side despite the rust and erosion build up. 

‘Thank you-‘

The android has already turned around and was walking away. 

Clutching the spanner in his gloved hands, Minseok makes sure to yell as loudly as he could.

‘THANK YOU!’

He doesn’t remember the trip back exactly, but he does remember to disinfect and decontaminate the spanner; almost relying on muscle memory. 

He takes the spanner to the lab, ignoring how he was sweaty from the work for the day, and probably stunk of the bio-suit, Minseok carefully and diligently cleans the spanner, using a strong but non-abrasive inhibitor to clear the rusted layer to get the ending digits of a serial number.

He sprays the spanner down one more time before its cleared to be removed from the incubator and Minseok immediately runs the serial number into the Bunker’s database. 

All Bunkers had a specific serial number, and all equipment used or manufactured was issued with these specific serial numbers. This way, Minseok would be able to figure out which Bunker or at the very least, which area, this android came from.

It’s not a complete number, but the database is able to narrow down the continent and zone for him.

‘ _ EURASIA – ZONE 09-C’  _

‘Zone 09-C,’ Minseok mutters to himself before clicking the zone’s map. The map of the Earth had changed drastically. Some areas had succumbed to post-Strain natural disasters (which broke out with a fierce intensity, almost as though preparing the world for what was to come), while others were overwhelmed in war and famine before the Strain came to ravage these areas. 

Many areas of the world fell apart, and with humanity dwindling in the numbers as well as in resources, desperation drew those who remained and banded together within safety zones, building themselves safety refuges. 

These refuges grew and developed under the threat of the Strain, and Bunkers were designed and built within each zone. 

Minseok’s Bunker was in East Asia - Zone 03-L.

So this was quite the distance for the android to have travelled. And when Minseok views the map, frowns in realization that the only way for this android to have reached this zone would have been to cross the ocean towards the south.

It made no sense.

Minseok carefully polishes and layers a protective lubricant over the spanner before placing it on his shelf as well later that night. 

He eats his dinner in the semi darkness of the control-unit room, overlooking the Eastern gate walls. Minseok sort of eats without much thought, going through his potatoes without really tasting them. It takes a while before he realizes he’s finished eating and the remains of potato have somewhat solidified on his plate. 

Sighing, Minseok makes to get up and leave when a flash of lightning flares through the sky, illuminating the compound.

A pack of Survivors, somehow bigger than before, swarming in the blurred darkness of the rain, were speeding down straight towards the same point Minseok had just repaired.

The sirens ring right after Minseok’s dinner plate comes crashing down, clean shards of ceramic flying through the air. 

But Minseok is already dashing for the perch, nearly slipping off in his haste. He needed to set the launcher again- he’s better prepared now than he was a few days ago. 

There’s another lightning strike, longer, brighter- and the wave of Survivors that are rushing down is bigger than before. 

Where did they come from? How did they survive in such large numbers over the years without notice? Minseok doesn’t have time to think about this- even with the strength of the rain, the Survivors were rushing through, crazed and mad- the rain not helping in keeping things stable. 

The settings are still the same as before and Minseok fires the launchers- twice, with their numbers. But suddenly the flood lights by the gates, that light up when activated or if the sensors pick up on movement lights up. 

Swearing under his breath, Minseok is about to trigger a powerful and something of a last resort-power wave of electricity when the lights illuminate the android.

‘What the fuck-?’

Clearly its movements are attracting the Survivors, but Minseok is confused- movement attracted the Survivors but only if it had a scent. This was an android- it was not a living thing. 

It can’t pass the fence- the android would malfunction upon touching such a powerfully charged fence. So it just stood there, facing the fence, looking towards-

Towards Minseok, inside the Bunker.

‘Deactivate defense fences at Eastern perimeter now!’ Minseok orders at once, ‘Sections 12 to 14!’

A protective flare burns deep within Minseok and he doesn’t even think twice when he changes the settings.

‘ _ Please state your name.’ _

‘Kim Minseok! Last resident and keeper of this shelter!’

’ _ 10 seconds for deactivation.’ _

The Survivors were too close.

‘Open mic for Eastern gate now!’ 

A tiny click sounds through the open-communication line.

‘Hey!’ Minseok yells, hoping he can be heard over the rain and roaring approach of the Survivors. The android looks around, up at the camera. ‘Climb over the fence in 10 seconds and run straight towards the Bunker!’

The android gives no sign of understanding.

‘Activate flood gates around all compound perimeters on my call!’ Minseok yells as he swivels the canons directions directly beyond the Easter walls and fires.

This was going to be incredibly risky, and incredibly stupid in so many ways.

But Minseok won’t allow it. 

This wasn’t just any android. 

Not to Minseok at least. 

The explosives he fires meets its target in an explosion of rain, mud, gravel, bits of Survivors, and bright fire-light. But Minseok doesn’t have time to watch- instead swiveling back to the surveillance footage, watching the android dutifully climb up the fence. 

‘Hurry!’ Minseok yells, and just as it climbs up and over, he practically screams, ‘Flood gates now!’

The flood gates lift.

But it’s slow. 

The Survivors crash into the deactivated fence, their gnarled misshapen forms rolling up against the fence. 

‘How long until activation of fence?’

’ _ 10 seconds.’ _

The flood gates lift slowly, giving a ledge for some of the Survivors to use to lift themselves up and over the fence before a massive crackle of electricity strikes through the reactivated fence. 

Lightning strikes again, only to further illuminate the massive number of Survivors now crashing madly against the electric fence. 

‘ANDROID KEEP RUNNING!’ Minseok roars. He can’t watch the android’s progress just yet. He needed to get rid of this massive horde of Survivors before anything else. 

‘Activate Beta-wall charge now! Authority of Kim Minseok!’ Minseok yells as he pushes himself off of the perch and nearly trips on his way down to the main dashboard, slamming his hand down on the scanner to input his complete authority. 

‘ _ Beta-wall charging. Complete in 8 seconds.’ _

Minseok rushes to the surveillance, scanning each camera feed for the android. 

It’s running fast, and on its tail are 5 Survivors. 

‘Deactivate automatic defense system!’ Minseok orders, ‘Manual overdrive!’ 

Separated from the horde, they’re nothing more than waifish figures, disintegrating faster with the rain. But their madness, their mutation, their  _ pain _ \- drives them forward, following after the android with a dark obsession. 

‘ _ Manual overdrive requires authority reinstated at the CSF.’ _

The whole control-unit room lights up as a massive light erupts behind Minseok, the whole Bunker falling into darkness for a split second before everything is back on track.

Minseok nearly falls in his hurry to get out of the elevator, sprinting as fast as he can to Compound Security Facilities. He misses twice before he’s able to place his hand over the scanner, and the doors open for him.

‘Kim Minseok-!’ he pants out, crashing into one of the perches, ‘Taking over manual control!’

This time the perch lifts him up, tilting him upwards as the straps wrap around him securely. 

The android is steadily running towards the Bunker, the Survivors behind it. Minseok doesn’t know how it knows, but it starts to run in zig-zags. 

This gives Minseok a very clear and unobstructed view of the Survivors.

Minseok takes them down with clear shots from the larger and canon-like stunners situated around the ringed rigs of the outer-garden domes. 

Minseok was not noted for his ability to shoot, but boredom generated practice, and practice makes perfect. And he takes each Survivor down with small but powerful explosives.

At this point, there was no way of not risking the spread of the Strain into the compound grounds. So Minseok doesn’t feel too bad using these defensive techniques. 

The android stops running the moment the last Survivor is taken down. 

Minseok realizes he’s breathing as though he had been the one running. 

Sweat runs down his face, his palms are sweaty and his body cramped. The perch sets him upright and he nearly falls over.

‘Check- check perimeter for Survivors-?’ he manages to gasp out, leaning heavily against the perch.

‘ _ None sighted.’ _

‘Great- great,’ Minseok pants out, pulling himself up straight. 

With still shaking limbs, Minseok gets himself down and to the prep-room towards the Eastern side of the Bunker. 

He wasn’t stepping out, but this was a precaution nonetheless. 

‘Open Eastern doorway 31,’ Minseok calls out by the doorway. 

He waits until the android appears by the doorway, pausing as though checking out the place. Minseok watches from the surveillance screen mounted on the wall next to the thick doors that will open up to the waiting-room he was in. 

The android steps in and the doors close behind him.

Minseok watches quietly, his heart pounding in his chest, the strength of which could almost vibrate against the cog still resting under his t-shirt material. 

The android waits as the decontamination process takes place in the vacuum, even standing for the UV scans to complete as though familiar with this process.

Minseok opens the doors for the android, the familiar stench of chemicals and disinfectants flooding the air.

The android steps up to him, just a little worse for wear, some condensation forming near the clear cover of its head.

‘ _ Decontamination complete.’ _

  
  
  


* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *
> 
> (Author’s Notes)
> 
> OKAY  
FOR THE AESTHETICS OF THIS STORY  
PLEASE CHECK OUT DEATH STRANDING WHICH PERFECTLY DEPICTS HOW I WANT THIS WORLD TO LOOK LIKE  
minus the very horror elements  
another way to think of the Survivors in this is to think of the creatures/statues in Annihilation  
with a slight world-war Z movement to them  
PLEASE ENJOY AND THANK YOU FOR READING  
also  
obsession  
is it bad   
to say x-exo is uhhhhh ahahahahahahahaahhahahahahahahaa   
jongdae in eyeliner, contrasting contour, red eyeshadow, and curled hair,   
i just died  
i DIED  
also baby you are  
is THE BEST SONG RIGHT THERE NEXT TO GRAVITY  
I SAID IT


	3. 011010000110100101100010011001010111001001101110011000010111010001100101

_‘You need to be careful.’_

_‘I know!’_

_‘Then how come you’re injured?’_

_‘…got excited.’_

_‘I know you want to explore, but what would have happened if you cut open your suit? You know ma will flip when she hears about this.’_

_‘But it didn’t-‘_

_‘-that’s not the point, you know it.’_

_‘…yeah…I’m sorry I was- I wasn’t thinking.’_

_‘Did the medics say you were okay? Any further check-up?’_

_‘I’m fine- just the bruising, might swell.’_

_‘Okay- we’ll get you a cold compress when we get back.’_

_‘Thanks for coming, I know you had classes.’_

_‘You want food? Hungry? I know they’ve brought in new stuff from the gardens.’_

_‘Maybe a little…- stop laughing!’_

_‘Such a kid- come on, you need me to carry you short-stuff?’_

_‘I swear I’ll grow taller than you!’_

_‘Yeah but you still want me to carry you?’_

_‘…yeah- stop laughing!’_

_‘Come on up big guy-‘_

_‘I swear-‘_

_‘-yes, you’ll grow taller than me, but for now let’s just go.’_

*

Minseok feels a bit dumb.

He’s just stalking the android as it explores the Bunker.

It randomly pauses, crouching down to look at the floor, or pauses at a window partition to stare out of it, or sits on a chair, bouncing a little then finds one chair it seems to approve of before it does the same with the tables.

He doesn’t know what to do.

Androids were not designed to be destructive. If they didn’t have an immediate purpose and were not given an idle task, they normally temporarily shut down. Minseok wonders if lack of maintenance led this android to be the way it was.

Minseok was not an android maintainer or anywhere near related to android-studies. But he knew how to access their systems and check logs and or archives. This was a basic skill everyone needed to know.

‘Hey,’ Minseok calls to it a little awkwardly.

Why was he being awkward? The android was just-…well, just an _android_.

But there was something so incredibly bizarre seeing another moving form within an area he considered _his_. This was Minseok’s personal space- this whole Bunker was his, and he was it’s last keeper. And yet here stood an android, looking around casually, not built or created for this Bunker.

The android looks around at him, mechanical sockets of soft amber light designed to mirror where eyes would be placed in an anthropomorphic shape.

‘Uh- can I check your systems? Just wanna see your make? And uh, systems archive? To see if you’re okay,’ Minseok finds himself explaining. Anyone would think he sounded incredibly guilty- he was just incredibly awkward.

The android just looks at him- or well, probably was processing his words. There were some androids made specifically for communications purpose, but this specific android wouldn’t have a complicated communications board built into their system. But it would be able to understand some basic commands, so that was one good thing.

It starts walking up to Minseok and he guesses this was as good as any agreement to his question so he leads him to the Android Maintenance Labs. He hasn’t really spent a lot of time here, considering he doesn’t need to. The last time he was here, it was just to check up on the systems, and look for a very specific sized spanner.

The android seems to know what this room meant, so it walks straight up to the down-port, a sort of capsule like platform where androids were kept, ready to be scanned.

The capsule seals up for a moment, before the android is carefully decontaminated with a steam-based disinfectant. The scan comes up clean, and the capsule doors open for Minseok.

‘Uh- your main cable connecter should be here somewhere-‘ Minseok mutters under his breath as he steps close to the android, squinting at the torso. The android points at the back of its neck.

‘Oh? Ah- is the front-panel for your own use?’ Minseok skips a little around the capsule to access the back. ‘That makes sense I guess? Your series can carry a lot of weight right? I heard that your energy-levels are super high too.’

The android doesn’t reply of course, but Minseok just continues talking.

‘The androids in this Bunker were mainly to help in transportation, running analysis outside, and I heard that before I was born, collecting data from the ocean floor. But of course we don’t do that anymore. And I can’t collect samples from the beach either, that’s too dangerous,’ Minseok tells the android as he finally finds the protective flap over the panel of ports on the androids back. ‘Ah- there we go- uh, I think- yes! ARI -02 and 03.’

He pulls over two silver coloured cables, anchored to the capsule walls and plugs them in. There’s no change on the android but the clear walls of the capsule start filling up code.

‘Well- this is- this fine?’ Minseok squints at the code.

He doesn’t know how to read them, let alone check to see if the android had any issues because he can’t tell if anything was wrong. But if there was something wrong, the program analyzing the logs from the android would be able to tell, right?

Minseok blinks at the ones and zeros flying past, hoping for any sort of clear reading that he would be able to understand. He finds none.

‘You’re doing okay, right?’ Minseok asks hesitantly, leaning a little past one of the capsule walls. The android doesn’t respond.

Sighing, Minseok wracks his brain for any sort of way of translating this massive data archive still flying up into the capsule walls.

‘Well- this might work but it might not but uh-‘ Minseok digs out his own screen and finds an adaptor on the wall. Connecting the two and then connecting a splitter to the adaptor, connects the capsule and android to his screen.

Immediately, the new tab on his screen is flooded with binary code.

‘Uh- identify language,’ Minseok orders as he quickly connects the tab to his audio-book library. ‘Please translate text.’

’_98.99% match found. Android Binary Code X-21 2331. Translating 0%.’_

So the android was manufactured in 2331. That was quite a while ago, which would explain the state it was in now. It still didn’t make sense how the android even got here, or how long it could have been wandering. Minseok hopes he can find out.

Was it the same area or place as the spanner it had given him?

‘_Translating 0%_.’

Well, this was going to take a very long time to translate.

But this was well over 4 decades of archived data log, so Minseok guesses he should come back in the morning.

‘Um- you’re going to have to stay connected,’ Minseok tells the android, stepping around and looking at it. ‘You can’t move just yet, is that okay?’

Minseok doesn’t even try to police his actions or words anymore.

Today was a weird and strange day, he’s allowed to be weird and strange himself too.

‘I’ll uh- I’ll come check on you. In the morning.’ Minseok feels guilty as he takes slow steps backwards.

The android just continues to follow his movements until he steps out of the Labs.

Minseok goes back to clean up the mess he had made earlier that day. He picks up the larger pieces of fractured ceramic, piling them over each other to make it easier to carry out.

It’s not like Minseok is noisy, living alone has conditioned him to not mind the silence or be aware of it either. But today, his own silence is extremely loud. Almost accusatory.

Looking out into the dark fields, Minseok can’t tell the difference in the vague bumps and lines over on the grounds. The sheer terror and adrenaline from just an hour ago felt _decades _old.

In the Kitchen he dumps the ceramics into a recycling chute. He wonders if making having something to eat will make him feel better. Maybe tea? Juice? Soup?

But Minseok doesn’t feel like making anything out of scratch just yet. He grabs a container of the strawberries had just recently stored away and he _swears _he was headed for his room, but his feet take him back to the Android Labs.

The android, this could be Minseok imagining things, _perks up_ at the sight of him.

‘_Translating 7%.’_

‘I uh-‘ Minseok’s mind goes blank but it was almost as though he knew what he really wanted to do.

He drags in a sleeping mat, blankets, and two pillows under his arms. He’s not sure why it felt right to do so, but he just-

It felt like the android deserved some company- right? Minseok puts the mat down close to the capsule, talking all the while.

‘I once did this outside in the gardens- I mean, I did build like a small encampment area, with a stable and raised floor just for the bed,’ Minseok narrates, ‘Because I dunno, maybe I’m too far from my Neanderthal forefathers but I don’t think that life is for me, you know?’

Minseok closes the strawberry container shut, no longer feeling like he needed to eat something.

‘You wanna listen to some audio books? I’ve really enjoyed this one and- maybe you’ll like it too?’ Minseok says, tapping along his screen.

To his surprise, the android carefully takes a seat, wires still connected.

‘_Translating 15%.’_

‘Well- I’ll take that as a yes,’ Minseok smiles, propping up the screen in the space between his sleeping mat and the capsule.

Laying back, Minseok exhales out, fingers immediately and unconsciously seeking out the little cog-wheel under his shirt.

Minseok falls asleep amidst quiet sounds of the capsule, the electric humming of the Labs, and words of magic that no longer felt unattainable.

*

The translations complete while Minseok brushes his teeth, hair standing up on end in certain places. He doesn’t notice the toothpaste foam falling over onto this night-shirt as he squints at the records. The inner lining of his mouth will be sensitive and peel a little after he’s done, but for now Minseok intently reads through the endless data of absolutely useless information. Or at least feels useless to Minseok.

He uses his toothbrush to read along specific lines, eyes burning just a little as he concentrates. There’s nothing more than software updating, codes rewriting as part of a normal update, system logs for each update, for every single action taken by the android, and other similar activities. There’s nothing more than this and Minseok is well- he’s a little upset.

He was really hoping for some sort of explanation. The oldest archive is clearly from the last time the android was rebooted and that was probably since when it had been wandering about. No “work” archive is listed, and no algorithm for ship maintenance or related work is noted.

This X-21 was rebooted and then just simply- let go.

Minseok disconnects the android, patting it a few times on the head.

‘I’m sorry,’ Minseok sighs, mouth still foamy, ‘Wish I could’ve found out more.’

He goes to spit the foam out before going back to running simple diagnostics across the android. Again, he’s not sure how much of this information was important and how much he just simply didn’t understand, but he saves every bit of data. He also decided to simply download everything, and leave the translations on for later. That would at least allow the android to move about and not stay inside the capsule for who knows how long.

And sure maybe an android wouldn’t necessarily even understand that staying inside a capsule like this would be tedious- but this is mainly for Minseok himself.

He rubs a finger over some of the more eroded metal pieces.

‘I think I can help you with strengthening your exoskeleton?’ Minseok says out loud, hands on hips, foot tapping a little. He had a lot of available resources- things he could do that wouldn’t harm or mess up with the interior, but just make sure that the android was properly maintained.

‘But I guess we should maintain me first,’ Minseok laughs a little, feeling quite hungry.

Rather than going back to his quarters, Minseok just cleans up the Labs, rolling up the sleeping mat and other bedding up, and uses the spacious washroom attached to the labs to finish washing up. The android just follows him around, handing him a towel when he’s done with washing up.

It didn’t behave the way care-taker androids or manual-androids did, where the service-based software oriented them to be helpful and or accommodating. But this android would randomly just- just _help_.

Minseok tries his best to follow his normal schedule.

He makes breakfast, and though still somewhat a little out of it, manages to put together a sort of quick flat bread. He rolls the soft dough out into nice funky shapes, unable to retain the disc-like shape the cookbook had on display. Minseok has long given up on maintaining normal shapes. He just goes about with his lopsided squares, weird flowers, and once a perfectly shaped heart. He had soaked some chickpeas, forgotten until Minseok found it in his attempts of looking for a side-dish.

‘I guess we go a little Indian this morning?’ Minseok shrugs as he looks at his bookmarked recipes involving chickpeas and landing on a nice savoury chickpea dish.

‘Hm- I don’t have coriander at the moment- but would dill be okay?’ Minseok wonders out loud, reaching for the herbs. The flavour profile should match up.

‘Can you keep watch on the chickpeas?’ Minseok asks the android after he sets it to boil.

The android doesn’t reply but stands in its spot, focus on the stove top.

Minseok cuts his tomatoes, a small shallot, a single clove of garlic, and a few dried chili peppers, and puts them all together into a bowl. When he looks up it’s just in time to see the android removing the pot from the heat, the water bubbling inside.

‘Thank you,’ Minseok smiles up at the android as he takes out a pan. ‘Do you remember the tub of strawberries I left in the Labs? Do you think you could go get it?’

The android processes his words, and without indication, turns and walks out of the kitchens. Out of concern, Minseok watches its progress, wondering if it truly did understand Minseok’s instructions, and if it didn’t, what would Minseok do about it.

But to his relief, surprise, and delight; the android goes to the Labs, stops in front of the container of strawberries, and picks it up.

Minseok has finished plating his tray and covering it with a clear lid, mouth watering at the fragrance of his chickpeas when the android comes back.

‘Come on, follow me,’ Minseok nods his head towards the other entryway. ‘Keep me company.’

Company.

It was definitely odd, but now with a full night of sleep and rest, feeling a somewhat recovered sense of normalcy compared to yesterday, Minseok is practically vibrating at the idea of having company for breakfast.

The rain is still quite heavy, but it’s fine. It’s nice actually. The light is cool and a little diminished but there’s a nice wholesome tranquility to balance that excitement building inside of him.

Minseok puts his tray down, sitting on the stone bench and table and waving the android closer.

It seems to be studying the gardens, head angled upwards just a little.

‘It’s nice isn’t it?’ Minseok leans back a little, spying swirling grey clouds past tree leaves. There’s a hollow boom of thunder and the trees awaken. 

The sparrows take flight, whittling about as thunder booms overhead once more.

The android seems confused by the sparrows, arms stationary as the birds land on it once in a while. Minseok laughs to himself before he grabs one of the smaller containers of bird-feed under the table. He normally tried his best not to feed the birds, but he needed to draw the sparrows from the android. Bird dropping was a hassle to clean and could corrode metal in strange ways, Minseok has heard. So he sprinkles down some of the bird-feed onto the stone floors, and the birds flock about the floors, keeping still and just feeding.

‘They’re called sparrows,’ Minseok tells it as he opens his breakfast up, setting aside the lid that has gathered a little bit of condensation. ‘Each bunker had their own species they were hosting. Wonder what your Bunker had.’

The android of course, doesn’t answer. After a few minutes, it sits across Minseok, watching him eat his breakfast. Minseok knows it can’t really tell or understand what it means, but Minseok smiles at the android over his flat bread and chickpeas.

Later, when Minseok is de-stoning the carefully preserved peaches he had taken out just for today, he’s surprised that the android collects the pits. It slides a mechanical finger over the top of its front torso, activating a small metallic lip to jut out. It pushes down on it, showing Minseok a compact storage space within the android’s chest cavity. 

It made sense, seeing as a building android, it would potentially need a place to store gadgets, items, parts during its work for emergency situations. It’s very secure, Minseok notes- he wonders if the rumors about certain androids being built for contamination control or even radiation control. These androids worked with dangerous materials, so it was possible they all had inbuilt methods of containing dangerous materials.

But instead of seeing plutonium or antimatter capsules, Minseok is a little relieved to find the cavity containing only a few small harmless items. If the android had been carrying around antimatter, Minseok is pretty sure no quarantine procedure would help him in this situation-

The moment his mind is able to catch up to his sight, Minseok shoots up.

‘Wait a minute!’ he yells, rushing towards the doorway to pick up the emergency kit. ‘Scan for Strain within inner-garden!’

Heart racing in his chest, Minseok slips on the gloves and pulls up the mask over his face as quickly as he can before rushing back to the android.

‘Quarantine the inner-garden, ready for decontamination!’ Minseok orders. The words are barely out of his mouth and he hears the shift in piping overhead and under the water trenches.

Without much aim or finesse, Minseok sprays the android with a powerful blast of anti-Strain. The sparrows fly out, the sound scaring them. The rain overhead intensifies, almost as though in response to the potential threat the android just released inside the garden.

‘_No traces of Strain detected or found. All clear.’_

Arms shaking, Minseok lowers his hand.

‘Sorry- sorry,’ Minseok gasps, finding himself breathless. ‘I was just- I thought-.’

The android doesn’t move or respond, hand still holding the peach pits.

Minseok sits down heavily, shakily taking off his gloves. ‘Fuck- oh, fuck.’

Carefully inhaling and exhaling, Minseok closes his eyes, leaning his head down on the table. The cool table surface is nice against his skin. Calming.

There’s a small sound, something metallic being placed near his head.

Turning his head a little, Minseok opens his eyes, still breathing carefully.

It’s a slightly bent socket cap screw, with the hex driver still attached.

It’s not rusted, but clearly old. The head is flat with a the number 82 scratched over it. The scratching looks oddly new, the metal exposed under is shiny and bright. Had the android scratched this itself?

Minseok looks up in time to see the android keeping the pits in its chest cavity, nonplussed at being covered in disinfectants.

‘Thank you?’ Minseok sits up, fiddling with the screw a little.

Was this an exchange?

With his initial shock and fear wearing off, Minseok finds the energy to wash up his breakfast. A thought strikes Minseok and he beckons the android to follow him out of the Kitchens once again. He takes him to the outer gardens rings, and into one of the open greenhouses. The android, if possible, seems fascinated, looking around and up at the tall trees, touching the open shelves that made up the walls of this open greenhouse.

Minseok loves this place.

But this wasn’t about him right now.

He pulls down a few clear anti-uv containers. Opening their lids, Minseok takes out one of each of the many seeds he was drying.

There were a lot that were kept and saved even before Minseok was born. He doesn’t touch those- out of respect, and out of memory.

‘Here- this is from the inner garden rings- they’re apple,’ Minseok hands three of the seeds. ‘I dried these 3 years ago I think. And these-‘

Minseok shows the android some more random seeds he was drying.

The android takes every single seed Minseok gives him, as though understanding they were gifts.

‘Here, let me help you,’ Minseok offers, placing the little seeds inside the chest cavity. ‘I don’t know what you’ll do with them. But I like to think of seeds as the possibility of something new. The possibility of new life, don’t you think?’

There’s no answer but it’s fine.

Minseok is happy this morning.

*

Going to sleep is entertaining. Obviously the android doesn’t need sleep.

‘You can walk around it’s fine,’ Minseok says as he fluffs up his blankets and pillows. ‘Don’t touch anything and obviously don’t go out.’

Even if the android wanted to, it wouldn’t be able to go outside. Not without the whole place shutting down because the android wouldn’t have the authorization to do so.

It walks out of the room and Minseok follows its movements for while. Minseok follows its movements until it reaches the lobby. It finds the seat it had liked the most, then turns its head towards the dark view.

Minseok falls asleep with the screen in his hands.

*

The next few days are about the same.

There’s not much that’s changed in his daily schedule.

But it definitely feels different and new. And Minseok finds himself more than just content, or resigned to his life.

Minseok feels a joy he hasn’t in a long time.

The android doesn’t speak of course. Barely reacts really.

But Minseok is laughing as he talks. He’s just exhausting a long detailed story about how he had first learnt how to climb trees when he was a kid. How his teacher freaked out when he fell, but the only reason Minseok had even climbed the tree was because he wanted that super shiny red apple. They would need to harvest all of the apples this week. Minseok knew there would be a lot, but he keeps them in store, turning out the old batch from the previous harvest and placing them in the composter to turn into fertilizer.

Minseok is careful with his rations, but he’s also not a hoarder.

‘The rain is good, keeps away the Strain,’ Minseok finds himself explaining after a moments pause. The screw and cog tinkle together under his shirt.

‘Isn’t that a saying from way before? Even before Pre-days, something about the rain washes away something- or the rain will fall, only for the sun to shine all the brighter?’

Minseok doesn’t even consider bridging conversations- just rambles on and on about any and everything that pops up in his mind.

‘The Rain is really good in sterilizing to an extent- nullifying scents that Survivors might react to,’ Minseok explains as he extends the long handled net upwards to the tree tops again. ‘Any form of organic-based scents are triggers to a lot of Survivors. It’s why we always spray ourselves down even when we exit the place. But it tends to also kill a lot of smaller plants- small life forms, fungi, bacteria.’

It’s fun explaining these mundane things to the android. It feels familiar. The android is doing the same, collecting apples from the tree next to Minseok’s. It’s doing a slightly faster job, though Minseok would like to think it was keeping in pace with him.

‘Tea break!’ Minseok calls, placing the net down on the leaf-strewn floor. ‘I think the leaves would be steeped just right.’

Minseok checks on the glass teapot he left out on the stone table. There’s a small peach-muffin on a saucer as well.

The android takes its seat in front of him as usual.

Today the rain is somewhat stronger- winds howling, audible even inside the Bunker. It’s the strongest storm Minseok has ever witnessed. Lightning forks through the clouds with rapid succession. It’s a little terrifying and Minseok doesn’t know what he’d have done if the android wasn’t there with him.

‘I don’t know if it’s just because of that but- I like the rain. It’s nice,’ Minseok says quietly, holding his cup closer, continuing his previous trail of thoughts as he looks up. ‘But it’s just, really really nice.’

Minseok doesn’t remember talking this much in so long. Sometimes his actual jaw will tire from talking so much. And he didn’t even know how much _stuff _he had to even say.

‘I think, just personally speaking of course, that strawberries are a little overrated? I mean not that I don’t enjoy them- I just think blueberries are better? Frozen blueberries are the ultimate snack right?’

‘-but how would you even be able to visualize a dress made of rain and storm clouds- this is why I really love this book, the visualization of the author’s words are just so stunning I don’t think I’ll ever read a book this deeply illustrated with just _words_-

‘-I know that, theoretically, this is the longer way of folding towels, but I think- like in most things, people tend to hurry too much. They’re in a hurry to finish, in a hurry to grow older, in a hurry to eat, in a hurry to just- I think a lot of people live with too much _noise _in their minds. And sometimes you just need to tell yourself to take it slow. Not stop- not shut everything down- but just- take things a little slow.’

‘-I just really can’t throw a fried-rice together- I know _how _to make it- but it’s like- clumpy? The soy sauce just never really gets everywhere and the colour is so uneven why am I even trying again-‘

Minseok is sitting crossed legged over on the couch at the lobby. Some very enthusiastic workout had lead him to tear his pants right down on the crotch. Remembering he had a few other clothes that could do with some repairs, Minseok grabbed a crafts kit from the Arts Lab and was busily making neat stitches. The sky is still dark but it hadn’t rained since the extreme storm the other day. There’s only a few forks of lightning, and some distant rumbling thunder.

‘I’ve never been able to use a thimble,’ Minseok finds himself saying. The android was intently studying said object. ‘I somehow feel like I’m going to poke myself more, if I use a thimble.’

He shakes out his trousers, putting the needle in his mouth and mumbling, ‘I just need to feel the needle on my skin I guess.’

He would probably need to go back on the stitches towards the center.

‘Can you hand me the black spool?’ Minseok reaches a hand out.

But nothing comes.

Looking up, Minseok notices how the android is just staring out, above Minseok’s head as he asks, ‘What’s wrong-‘

There’s a small alarm.

His back makes a small cracking sound as he twists quickly in his seat, staring hard through the soft drizzle.

There’s a small pack of Survivors? But they were different- or at least, Minseok thinks they are. They didn’t appear rabid or wild. They were definitely not human either.

Minseok noted that due to recent events, with the concentration of the Strain in the area, Survivors of all sorts were passing through more. Small packs like these were practically harmless- though of course Minseok would never go meet one head on.

‘Is that-?’ Minseok squints before he gets up properly, heading for the windows.

Grabbing his screen he accesses the surveillance at the gates and pulls up the live-feed, controlling the angle of the camera.

Real animals were rare to come by. They were nocturnal, coming out very rarely out in the open like this.

They appeared to look like bears- around 5 of them.

At first they appeared to look like Survivors. They had moss growing over their fur- some sort of plant-like growth covering their forms, like nature handed them even more camouflage. They move slowly, relaxed almost. They stop every once in a while, sniffing at the ground, large paws pushing at mounds here and there.

Two of the smaller ones even seem to take a moment to play around with each other.

‘Wow,’ Minseok breathes out, looking up from the screen back to the view and then back down again. For the first time in days, Minseok’s apprehension regarding the outdoors is somewhat subdued. He still had nightmares of the hordes of Survivors, roaring down towards the walls like a tsunami of rabid flesh.

Torn crotch pants forgotten, Minseok just watches the bear-like animals play around as they pass through. They stay for almost an hour before disappearing into the unseasonal fog.

*

It’s a sunny morning and Minseok is _ready_.

He feels a little braver as well. Even if the android wasn’t going to be going out with him, Minseok feels safer.

Suddenly it takes a step back and approaches the door. It stands there, still and unmoving, before turning its head as though to ask a question, before looking back at the door, and then back at Minseok again.

Minseok immediately understand.

‘Hey- I need to just do some check-ups,’ Minseok explains from where he stood, ‘You can go back up if you want?’

It looks at Minseok for a long moment and then back at the door.

Minseok shimmies into the bio-suit.

‘I’ll be back in an hour or so-?’ Minseok is saying, taking a step back but the android moves with him, positioning itself as though telling Minseok to go with him.

Confused, Minseok says, ‘Hey, it’s just some samples-‘

It stops. Then it just looks back and forth again.

Minseok sighs.

‘Come on- it won’t take too long- half an hour, I promise.’

The android seems to be considering before its posture seemingly relaxes.

‘You’re very considerate,’ Minseok tells it. He pulls on the bio-suit completely and steps out. The android taps on the doorway.

‘It’s okay- just stay there, I’ll be back,’ Minseok reassures him.

The grounds are still wet and Minseok’s steps make squishy sounds that make him laugh out loud.

He doesn’t go out of the gate. He’s not really brave enough for that.

But just out here in the compound was fine.

It was high time he got some samples after all.

According to the forecast, it was possible that the next 3 days would be clear and sunny. It’s very rare getting that many days of sun but Minseok will take it.

Minseok is excited to see what his analysis with recent developments, plus this change in weather, would show him. The bear sightings had been amazing. Minseok had logged their appearance, as well as the entire footage of their movements into the archives.

It also made him realize that he had forgotten to submit his nightly report. He makes his report a little longer to make up for missing the past 4 nights.

Humming, Minseok collects his samples. He’s careful as he uses an extension-rod to reach past the fencing and grab samples directly from outside the compound grounds. He’s about 50 meters from where the bears had been walking through. Minseok wishes he could grab samples from there-

Minseok feels a bit like an idiot.

He gets back to the Bunker quickly, impatiently waiting to be disinfected and waiting for the decontamination process to hurry the fuck up. When the doors open, the android is there, waiting for him where he last saw it.

‘Hey- you wanna come with me?’

It’s a little unnerving, waiting at the open gates like this.

Minseok doesn’t really want to step outside fully, but he’ll stand here.

The android walks in its normal easy pace, picking up sample at random like Minseok had instructed, and placing them very neatly into the tubes in the kit Minseok had attached onto it. The android is near where the bears had been, and it takes its time collecting samples here and there.

Minseok is exhilarated as they return, gates locked securely behind them.

Making sure they’re both thoroughly disinfected and decontaminated, Minseok rushes to the Labs where their kits are waiting for them, clean and ready. The android comes in a little later.

‘I’m not expecting like, great results or anything!’ Minseok explains, ‘But I’m just a little hopeful I guess?’

Minseok gnaws at his lips as he waits for the report. He paces around the android in counter-clock circles and then clock-wise circles.

A small beeping sound has him nearly slipping on the shiny floors in his haste to read the reports.

‘Okay okay- let’s-‘ Minseok pauses, eyes flitting over the screen. ‘Wait-‘

Frowning he leans back, blinking a few times before going back to read the contents.

‘Strain levels at 0.4%?’ Minseok feels like he needs to blink harder. That didn’t make sense. Of course the rain made the Strain levels go down. But Minseok has never seen them _this _low.

He checks every sample.

Each sample is low- the highest registering at 0.83 and that one had been right at the fence.

The sample the android had collected near where the bears had been are nearly completely 0%.

Minseok doesn’t know what to think.

His curiosity drives him to go out again and get more samples. This time he takes the reader out with him- it read atmospheric levels of the Strain. It wasn’t used a lot unless it was _indoors_ of course. Or used in the breath-analyzers on people who were suspected of being infected.

The reader registers the Strain at a measly 1.7%.

Ignoring the reader, Minseok goes about collecting more samples. This time he even joins the android in stepping out of the compound. It feels wrong, his back to the gates this far out. But he’s determined.

And the further he extracts his samples, the cleaner his readings get.

Minseok stares blankly at the samples and their readings.

‘I- I need to think.’ He declares. ‘No- I need to- I need to uh- clear my mind. Yeah.’

Minseok and the android make their way to the Observatory.

It felt removed enough for Minseok to feel like he was clearing his mind.

The android seems confused by his silence. Which was understandable because Minseok has been chattering to him nonstop.

It’s a beautiful sunset and Minseok feels relieved and refreshed.

The reports from the Observatory run in the background, Minseok doesn’t really pay much attention to it. He goes and slumps against one of the railings, forehead pressed up to the cool glass. The android comes and sits next to him, leaning in close to the window as though to look out.

‘It looks nice and windy outside doesn’t it?’ Minseok asks, ‘That must be nice.’

It’s a startlingly clear evening sky. No clouds in the horizon. Not so much as a speck.

‘In the past, it would be winter right now I think?’ Minseok sighs out. ‘This is beautiful- do you think we should record this?’

Minseok gets up, refusing to think of his readings and analysis.

He goes to set up the recording unit. The Observatory was set up to record and well, observe, weather patterns and connect directly to the PuriZones. They were also sensitive to changes in the weather and would start recording changes in the atmosphere. Minseok sees 4 entire new recordings which were not sent to him as part of the daily report from the Observatory. Minseok made _sure _that this would happen and he would be informed of any and all changes recorded and observed. He _had _been getting reports. He got them just last night, that everything was normal. But these recordings were not. In fact, when Minseok checks the Observatory System- he notices with a chilling realization, that it was disconnected to the Bunker.

‘Realign and reconnect Observatory to Bunker now!’ Minseok orders at once.

Suddenly the power gives out- but before Minseok can freak out, the power comes back on.

‘Report on compound security!’

‘_All clear.’_

Minseok wants to believe it but he had been completely unaware about the Observatory being disconnected. If he hadn’t come in today he would have never known about it.

There’s a metallic sound and Minseok, temporarily distracted, looks around.

The android stares at the setting sun- and Minseok doesn’t know why, was he projecting, was he _hoping_, but the android felt so _alive_. Like it was really seeing the colours, the lights. It points down at the beach, its metallic finger tapping on the window. Then it points up to the sky, and then down again.

Unsure why, Minseok hesitates to approach the android.

In his internal turmoil, Minseok hadn’t really been looking around at all. He had stared straight out into the sky and hadn’t looked down.

And he regrets doing it now too.

Like some great beached thing, a massive broken chunk of the PuriZone is washed up on the black sandy shore.

Minseok doesn’t know how long he’s been staring at it when he feels something tugging at him.

‘What-,’ Minseok breathlessly mumbles, going along with the android that almost gently guides him down towards the doorway to the trams again.

Somewhat mindlessly, Minseok steps into the trams. He only realizes then that he’s still holding the screen from the Observatory.

He’s almost expecting klaxons or something when they get back to the Bunker. The android still guides him, and Minseok is grateful, because his mind has somewhat stopped working.

He finds himself at the Eastern doorway.

‘You- you want to go out?’ Minseok stops, pulling his arm and sweater out of the androids hold.

The android simply looks back at the doorway.

‘-you want to go check the beach but I-‘ Minseok doesn’t know what to say. Doesn’t know what to do. Of course that made sense to go check on the PuriZone.

‘Wait- we can’t just go look.’

The android walks towards Minseok and pushes him back gently. Then it walks towards the doorway.

It was telling Minseok something.

‘You- you want to go check?’

The android just stays still.

‘But I-‘

The android turns around, and lifting its palm, a small flat cable pokes out and lands flat over the scanner for the doorway.

‘What-?’ Minseok is too slow to react.

The doors open.

‘Wait-!’

By the time Minseok realizes that the android has opened the doorway out to the decontamination chamber, he’s not wearing a bio-suit.

Adrenaline kicking in, Minseok dives for a suit.

‘Hey! HEY! Where are you going?!’ Minseok yells. Through the narrow window Minseok sees how the android waits the short period of time to decontaminate itself before it exits.

‘Fuck-!’

The android normally moved slowly- normally just a little ahead, or a little behind Minseok.

This is the second time Minseok has seen it sprint.

Minseok is just barely out of the doorway and out into the surprisingly dry compound and the android is already at the Eastern gateway. It stops before the gates, and to Minseok’s absolute shock, the gates open for it.

And then without even looking back, the android continues to run straight out into the night.

*

Minseok is _angry._

He had ran all the way back to the Observatory. Using night-vision cameras to scan and track for the android.

Nothing.

There is no movement, no motion, nothing.

It’s empty.

Minseok stays at the Observatory till morning light.

He doesn’t even notice the sun rising in soft rosy colours. Doesn’t notice the early morning mist turning soft pink and then lilac before entirely disappearing to show a clean wide ocean.

Anger takes over him.

He’s angry when had taken the tram back. Angry when he had decided he didn’t care if the android was trying to check on the PuriZone. Angry when he refused to look out into the Eastern gateway area. Angry when he pretended he was listening out for the familiar sound of alarms, informing him of something at the fences.

Minseok is _angry_.

Because if he’s not angry then Minseok is _lost_.

It almost feels like he’s said goodbye all over again. Feels like he needs to come to terms to everything again.

He almost feels heartbroken.

He hadn’t felt like this when he watched the ships leave. Hadn’t felt _betrayed _like this.

But after 4 days of just being angry, of barely sleeping, of barely eating- Minseok just gives up.

Sprawled on the floor of the lounge, Minseok feels absolutely void.

With a resigned sense of tiredness, Minseok shakes himself off and after nearly half a day of just laying flat on the ground, Minseok is tired of feeling the way he felt and gets up.

He quietly goes about the Bunker. With a clear mind he checks over the analysis reports again. He submits each and every single one manually, typing in his findings rather than recording himself.

He personally goes and checks over the entire connection between the Observatory and the Bunker.

He combs through the records from the Observatory and watches how the terrible storm from that day hadn’t been a normal storm. How the PuriZone, silhouetted against the broiling skies broke apart and crashed into the raging waters below. Minseok still can’t figure out why that had happened. But he finds out that the Observatory had lost power for over 6 hours after that, but due to safety measures, nothing was affected in the Bunker. The report hadn’t been delivered to Minseok because the alarming system in the Observatory wasn’t connected to the Bunker. This was clearly a design flaw- or perhaps because the Bunker and the Observatory were never meant to be run by a single person.

Minseok cleans up the mess he made in his rage. He makes sure that his pants are stitched up properly, makes sure that he still has a good stock of food in the fridge, and bookmarks _Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel_, and after making sure everything was back to normal, takes a nice long bath and just _cries_.

*

The next few weeks is just Minseok carefully setting up new routes for the PuriZones in the region. After a deep and slightly terrifying search through the PuriZone network, Minseok is shocked and incredibly disturbed to find that 15 PuriZones were completely deactivated, and 7 others were offline. It would take about 5 days for the closest still functioning PuriZone to get to this area so Minseok stays vigilant in his watch.

But the lack of rain from the PuriZone means every morning he wakes up, the landscape outside turns brighter and greener.

And Minseok has incredibly mixed feelings about this.

He goes out 4 separate times in the span of 3 weeks and each reading is lower and lower.

He even finds a fully blossomed dandelion.

The disinfection and decontamination kills it at once, but Minseok is able to keep enough to run an analysis.

The Strain registers at a measly 0.07%.

Barely there.

And the morning the PuriZone arrives, Minseok regrets everything.

He watches, with his own eyes, in a span of 7 hours, how everything turns murky and greyish again.

Minseok bursts into tears over his dinner, back turned to the windows, the rain falling overhead.

*

Minseok is tired.

But he’s starting to get a little better.

He wants to be irritated at himself. For feeling _so much _just because of an android.

He’s frequenting the Observatory more often now.

His previous discomfort of being in the Observatory is no longer present. Instead Minseok prefers being here over the Bunker.

Sometimes he would stay in the Observatory for a few days. He arranged a nice sleeping corner at the highest platform, watching the water below early in the morning, or late into the night. The beached PuriZone is still there of course, nature slowly overtaking it as it erodes with the strength of the ocean waves crashing into it continuously. Minseok had witnessed one massive section cave and give way, flooding instantly with water.

It was calming.

Soothing and comforting.

It’s raining hard tonight and Minseok has switched off all the lights inside the Observatory.

The rain no longer felt the same to him anymore. No longer felt protected in a sense.

Now it almost feels threatening.

But here in the Observatory, Minseok feels like he can just disconnect from everything he’s been raised with. Everything he understood.

He had taken samples again earlier this morning.

The Strain was back to what it used to be.

It was hard to understand. Hard to wrap his mind around.

But most times, here in the Observatory, Minseok didn’t need to think about it really.

Out here, he just liked to watch the ocean waves.

He finishes his dinner and tonight he thinks maybe he’ll go sleep in the Bunker instead. Maybe he was starting to go back to normal- whatever normal meant. But tonight he just wanted to sleep in total darkness rather than having lightning flash about, waking him up at intervals.

It takes him a moment to register that his screen, left near the dashboard close to the doorway, was softly ringing.

He had changed the tone of his alarm system, along with nearly everything else.

It’s a nice chiming sound which Minseok felt was a good deserving change from the previous one.

His body reacts faster than his mind and he’s at his screen before he can process that the security system was picking up on something.

This could just be some random Survivors. Just last week, a small pack had crossed the now dull grey mounds some 70 meters from the compound borders.

It was a coincidence that the alarm was coming from the Eastern gate.

An avalanche of emotions flood Minseok as he taps on the camera for the Eastern gate.

Five weeks.

Five weeks and nothing.

And now the android stood out there in the rain, looking straight into the camera.

Minseok runs, heart hammering in his chest. He calls for the trams, slamming the button several times in his impatience. Getting on, the trams were too slow for him, foot tapping persistently.

But by the time the tram arrives, Minseok has gained some control over himself. He doesn’t run. Instead he walks purposefully, taking calculated and measured breaths as he makes his way to the Eastern gateway decontamination-room.

With surprisingly stable hands, he accesses the Eastern gateway controls. He opens the gate, watching as the android enters. He’s pulling with him a large metallic crate.

An almost derisive snort rises up in Minseok’s chest throat.

Sometimes when his parents got into arguments, they would get each other small presents to make it up to each other. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn’t.

Well _clearly _this was not going to work.

Minseok waits 14 minutes until the android is just outside.

He almost doesn’t open the doorway.

Minseok only just realizes he was sweaty, his hair a little matted around his forehead.

He watches, taking deep calming breaths as the decontamination-chamber goes to work. It’s with a pained feeling he watches the android empty out its chest cavity, decontaminating the inside as well. As though it remembered.

This just serves to make Minseok upset because when the doors open, the overwhelming smell of disinfectants flooding Minseok’s sense he can only barely tone down his voice.

‘You come back _now_?’ Minseok gasps, pushing his sweaty hair out of his face. The android just looks about casually, completely nonplussed because of course. It was just an android.

Minseok wants to both cry and laugh.

He had been such a strange emotional wreck because of this dumb android and now it was back. With this metal crate like a _sorry I emotionally wrecked you because you’re clearly not as emotionally stable or healed as you thought you were _gift.

Minseok wants to scream.

‘You come back _now_\- in the middle of the fucking night in this fucking rain-‘ Minseok yells, gesturing aggressively with his arms before pausing, taking deep breaths.

There is no reaction from the android.

‘You know what? Do what you want!’ Minseok throws his hands up in exasperation and storms out.

Minseok is already in bed, showered, brushed, changed, and determined to fall asleep.

He can’t even close his eyes.

Annoyed he checks the screen.

The android is still there. Unmoving, just standing by the metal crate.

Of course Minseok had changed every single setting that the android had accessed when it was here. Minseok couldn’t even rue it that- of course as an android, if it was connected like that so simply to a bunker, it would connect and disconnect into the mainframe easily- especially if it was for doorways and gateways.

But Minseok pushes the screen away, hearing it clatter to the floor and turns his back to it.

He tries his best.

It’s 2 AM when Minseok can no longer take it and he goes down back to the lobby.

The android seems to perk up at the sight of him.

‘Is this your fucking apology to me because I don’t accept it,’ Minseok states bluntly, arms crossed before he hunches down to his knees, covering his face with his hands and mumbling, ‘what am I doing? Arguing passive-aggressively with a fucking _android_?’

Sighing, Minseok stands, tired as per usual.

‘Come on- stop moping there and come inside,’ Minseok says tiredly, turning around.

But the android doesn’t budge.

Hands on hips, Minseok is unimpressed.

‘Come on in- just- I don’t know, walk around.’ Minseok gestures about towards the lounge area. ‘Come in so I can at least get some sleep.’

The android doesn’t move for a moment before it points at its cavity in its chest, and then down at the crate.

‘…yeah I know, it’s a gift- oh for fuck’s sake, you want me to open it now?’ Minseok sighs out.

The android shuffles a little, facing the crate now.

‘Oh my god why did I have to be stuck with _this _android?!’ Minseok grumbles before, out of habit, he goes and grabs a disinfectant kit.

It’s difficult to open. Some parts have been dented in and Minseok is sweating a little again as he grabs a pressure-tool to pry open the lid.

‘Why is this weld-shut,’ Minseok grumbles, re-angling the pressure-tool and popping the lid with a satisfying snap.

Sighing, Minseok has to work a little to pry the lid away- it’s heavier than he expected. But when it does come off, Minseok is quick to dive for the disinfectant spray.

But before he can even turn the nozzle on- he’s frozen into place.

Inside, completely knocked out, wounded, and with peach pits loosely clenched in his hand, is a living human being.

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Author’s Notes)
> 
> So. What’s up?  
Ehe  
HAPPY NEW YEAR  
Also pro-advice  
Don’t go on twitter right now  
Timeline is a mess you’re gonna cry  
I did  
watching junmyeon i just- *clenches fist really tight and exhales slowly and carefully because i dont think i can say it out loud or even type it*  
So  
Yeah  
Save yourself


	4. 0110000101101101011000010111001001100001011011100111010001101000

_‘What’s wrong? What is it? Why are you crying?’_

_‘There’s- there’s been some bad news.’_

_‘Is this about mum’s-‘_

_‘-yeah. Yeah it is.’_

_‘But I thought- I thought that-‘_

_‘That’s what we thought too and-‘_

_‘Why didn’t you tell me sooner I would’ve-‘_

_‘-there’s nothing we can do. That’s what they’re telling us-‘_

_‘-how…how did we not see?’_  
‘_There-…there will be times when you’re blinded. Unable to see past what you’ve built. What we’ve built. And that’s what we did- we looked past us. Looked past what we thought we always knew- and we looked the furthest we could have ever hoped to do so- and we found ourselves up with the stars.’ _

‘_But- ma-‘_

_‘-hey shhh, we’ll be okay, I’ll take of mum, you take care of your little brother.’_

_‘-he- how do I tell him? I can’t tell him- this would…this would-.’_

_‘-she said she wanted to tell you both, you just caught me in the wrong time.’_

_‘-he won’t – he’s not going to…ma please isn’t there-‘_

_‘There isn’t. There’s no cure, it’s too late now.’_

*

The moment Minseok regains himself, he blasts the unconscious figure with the disinfectant and promptly screams, ‘Why the _fuck _have you brought me a Survivor?!’ at the android.

Maybe he’s overreacting but nothing in the world would have prepared him for ever expecting a human being inside that crate. Even if this was in the past, and people still lived on Earth, opening a crate and finding a human being inside of it was not a common occurrence. So Minseok has nothing to refer to on how to react to this situation.

Minseok realizes, belatedly, that the disinfectant spray is running out as it splutters and spits out its contents.

Body moving in a manic manner, Minseok instantly grabs the lid and slams it down shut again.

Then he opens it again.

Then he slams it shut again.

‘FUCK!’

Slamming it shut for the final time, Minseok half sprints, half shuffles across the floor to the wall to slump down. His instincts scream at him to be quiet but he did literally slam the lid of the crate several times with a lot of force.

With still shaking limbs, Minseok pushes himself up, sparing a moment to glare at the android that, if it could, would be laughing at him as it watches his movements. Minseok manages to get himself to the same emergency hatch where more disinfectants were stored, as well as self-defense weapons, and even a few offensive ones. Minseok picks up the short-range rifle. He’s been trained to use all of these weapons, and most were designed for the purpose of using against Survivors. When you faced a force of power this powerful, humans stopped trying to kill each other for most of the part. Or at least Minseok would like to think so. He knows that in their more recent history, lives were lost for a lot less than a meal or temporary safe place.

He also grabs the hand-held scanner, the ones used to detect and scan for traces of Strain within living organisms.

Taking deep breaths, Minseok steps up to the crate again.

‘Scan for the Strain,’ Minseok orders in a shaky voice. If there was any Strain present, alarms would have already rung out but Minseok wants to be sure.

‘_No traces of the Strain detected.’_

‘Keep scanning,’ Minseok breathes out.

He kicks open the lid with a loud noise and points his blaster down at the still unconscious human.

‘Scan!’ Minseok stammers out, somehow seeing too much but not enough. He blindly aims the scanner towards the human inside. After a very long 15 seconds, the scan comes out clear.

‘Oh god-‘ Minseok drops the blaster as well as the scanner, knees giving out a little as he goes to kneel a bit too hard.

‘Oh god-‘ he stammers out, reaching inside hesitantly. ‘Oh god did you bring me a _dead _human?!’

But he’s not dead.

A very careful poke to his neck gives Minseok a clear reading of his pulse under his shaking fingers.

‘Okay- okay, not dead.’ Minseok tells himself, ‘Okay not dead- just- just unconscious I-‘

Wiping at his face and pushing his hair away Minseok makes a plan.

‘Okay first- first, get him out of the crate- right, uh…’ Minseok looks around the now empty space.

‘FOR FUCK’S SAKE!’ Minseok yells, almost hysterical.

Extracting the unconscious human from inside the crate is no easy task. So Minseok, ever the logical and rational person, decides to find a crowbar, and using simple physics, tilt the crate over to its side and simply roll the person inside out.

After 5 minutes of struggling and nearly pulling a muscle or two, Minseok finds himself panting on the floor with a crate turned over onto its side, and an unconscious person a little out on the floor.

The peach pit from his hand rolls out as well.

Minseok absent mindedly pockets it before he grabs the person by his feet and proceeds to drag him across the floor towards the medical wing.

Really sweating up a storm, back aching, thighs burning, and breathless from what was clearly some sort of panic attack and the whole physical exertion of this entire night, Minseok is finally able to get the unconscious man into the medical wing. With some fumbling he lowers the medical bed as much as possible before employing the same tactics to lift him to the bed as he did dragging him here. With his legs safely up on the bed, Minseok increases its height.

‘Scan and diagnose patient,’ Minseok orders, tapping on the screen mounted over the medical bed to activate it.

‘_Scanning_.’

The first thing Minseok does is to pull off the stranger’s shoes. If he were unconscious on a medical bed, he’d appreciate having his shoes taken off too. Or at least he thinks he does.

There’s a small sound and whipping his head around, Minseok spots the android at the doorway, peeking in.

‘Oh so _now _you show up? After I do all the leg work?’ Minseok complains, but waves him inside. ‘Where on earth did you find him?’

He doesn’t look injured though Minseok can’t tell because it’s not like you could see internal injuries and the likes. The only thing he’s scanned for is a head injury and what appeared to be an old injury on his right leg. The head is probably the reason why he was knocked out. Worried about how this human hadn’t even twitched with the all the banging sounds Minseok had made, he instantly scans for any brain damage. Being knocked out for this long, and so soundly, after a head trauma, could definitely mean some form of brain trauma.

But there’s no swelling or fluid build up.

Another thing Minseok notices is a very low blood pressure reading, and generally slow heartbeat.

‘Oh god, I’m not the best at this-‘ Minseok quickly pulls up the IV bags, hanging it over the bed and making sure the clear pipe runs down straight. In a flurry of movements Minseok washes his hands and whole arms before wearing gloves and disinfecting the unconscious mans arm. He then administers, with a few apologies, the needle into the crook of his elbow. He attaches a brace around the mans neck even though Minseok thinks maybe it’s a bit too late considering he did drag this man around like some luggage all over the place.

The android just keeps watch over his procedures, standing over the unknown man.

It’s only after Minseok takes another shower and he’s standing over his own bed does he realize how absolutely _crazy _the night was.

There was another living _human being _inside the Bunker.

*

Minseok doesn’t know why he’s being so quiet as he makes his breakfast in the kitchen.

First of all, the kitchen is at least a whole 10 minute walk from the medical wing.

Second- well, yeah. It’s not like you could hear what was happening in the kitchen in the medical wing so. There was no need to tip-toe to the fridge.

Sighing, Minseok makes, with a very weird feeling, two sets of breakfast.

Somewhere in the middle of the night, the stranger had gasped awake, flailed a little, before falling back to sleep. Minseok had hovered for a whole hour, worriedly, barefoot and hazy vision.

He suspects that he might be able to wake up the stranger now.

Again all of his vitals were normal, and his pulse wasn’t as slow as before. His blood pressure was also a little better, but it could definitely improve.

Just as Minseok places the breakfast onto a slightly wider plate, his screen alerts him that the stranger was waking up.

Okay.

Plan B.

Carrying the tray over all the way and keeping an eye on one screen, watching as the stranger sits up, heavily disoriented, looking around in a very clearly dizzy way.

Minseok doesn’t know what to say, what to do, as he stands just out of sight near the medical wing doorway. Just as he’s thinking maybe not to do this, or step back, the android pokes his head out and Minseok nearly throws the tray, oatmeal and scrambled eggs and all.

‘Is- is someone there-?’ a voice croaks out.

And okay, Minseok can do this.

Steeling himself, Minseok walks into the medical wing.

This was so bizarre.

SO bizarre.

A living, real, non-Survivor human being in front of him, in his Bunker.

‘Uh-‘

‘Oh my god-‘ the stranger croaks out, eyes clearly unfocused as he pulls at the neck cast, ‘Oh my god- I’m in heaven- how am I in heaven I’m- I’m _such _a sinner-‘

Okay, definitely concussed.

Minseok quickly puts the tray down, highly aware of a pair of disoriented eyes following his every movement. He quickly makes his way to the bed, quickly taking his hands off of his neck cast.

‘Oh god- wait no- am I in _Trappist?_’ his face twists into one of disgust, ‘Oh fuck- fuck no wait I just-‘

‘Hey, uh, you’re on Earth, you’re fine, don’t worry-‘ Minseok manages to get out. ‘Uh- I’m Minseok- can you remember your name?’

His eyes are an incredibly bright brown- also rather sparkly but Minseok wonders if that’s because he’s concussed.

‘I- I uh- nice to meet you?’ he manages to get out, blinking furiously hard before he manages to say, ‘I’m Jongdae. Yeah, I’m Jongdae oh god-‘

His eyes roll behind his head and Minseok is quick to balance him and settle him back properly.

‘Hey, stay with me!’ Minseok says loudly, ‘Look at me, just keep looking at me- don’t close your eyes yet- you’ve sustained some sort of head injury- so just stay awake-‘

‘-wait how am I here-‘ this Jongdae tries to sit up but Minseok pushes him down gently, reaching for a small flashlight.

‘You uh- you were inside a crate,’ Minseok explains, switching on the flashlight, ‘this will be bright but please look at it okay?’

Jongdae nods in a dazed manner.

‘You were in a crate- that android brought you here, to this Bunker.’ Minseok carefully pulls down a little at the skin below Jongdae’s eyes as he flashes the light.

His reactions were normal.

‘I- oh god, Chen’s okay!’ Jongdae exclaims, looking around in a dazed manner, waving at the android.

‘Chen?’ Minseok repeats but exclaims out, ‘Woah wait-!’

Jongdae, in some weird concussed bout of energy pushes his way out of the bed. His legs, like jelly, give out completely, and he falls spectacularly. Luckily, his IV drip doesn’t rip out, and Minseok is quick to catch him.

‘My legs-‘

‘Yes you’re very weak, can you please stay still,’ Minseok is nearly begging as he hoists Jongdae up.

‘Oh- m’sorry,’ Jongdae’s eyes are rolling again and he’s gone completely pale. ‘I’ll just-…’

‘Oh fuck- fuck, wait-!’

*

The second time Jongdae comes around is about an hour later.

He’s much more contained and less concussed.

He’s also very suspicious and seems to regard Minseok with more distrust than this situation should really allow. Because it’s _him _that’s ventured into Minseok’s safe space. If anyone has questions, be suspicious, it should be Minseok.

So he tightens his metaphorical belt and crossing his arm, looks down at this weak suspicious man with his best stern expression.

‘Mind explaining to me what you were doing inside that crate, with head trauma, outside in the open, being dragged around by my android?’

‘First of all,’ Jongdae begins, looking like he wished he were strong enough to sit up and cross his arms back at Minseok, ‘That’s _my _android- his name is Chen, I found him inside one of the PuriZones a few years ago-‘

‘What were you doing inside a PuriZone?’ Minseok demands, images of the broken and beached PuriZone flooding his mind.

‘Taking it down?’ Jongdae replies as though it’s obvious.

If Minseok was carrying anything, he’d had dropped it.

‘Why- wait!’ Minseok holds up both of his hands, ‘Were you the one who took down my PuriZone?’

‘Is this Zone 99-L?’ Jongdae asks, squinting a little.

‘Y-yes-‘

‘Why is it still raining?’ Jongdae demands, briefly looking out of the windows to the far side of the medical wing.

‘Because I called one-‘

Jongdae groans, leaning back into his pillows, hands in his hair.

‘What is it- what’s wrong-?’ Minseok demands, ignoring the intrusive images of the budding grass outside in the compound turning to compost in his head.

Jongdae doesn’t reply, instead he sits up a little wearily, his hands falling away and crossing over the blankets covering his legs. He’s frowning hard, as though thinking quickly and hard. He stares at the floor, lips pressed into a thin line, fingers following some random beat before states, a little hesitant, a little sad, and just mainly, in a very tired voice.

‘The Strain no longer exists naturally- the only reason why you would still see Survivors, why the planet is empty of humans, and why especially here, you’re not seeing any development or progress in growth, is because of the PuriZones, and the people who put them there.’

Minseok doesn’t know what to say, what to think.

‘I- I don’t understand- what are you saying-?’

‘I’m saying,’ Jongdae looks up at Minseok with a sad smile, ‘That the Strain no longer exists.’

*

Minseok and Jongdae aren’t exactly talking to each other- rather studying each other in a way that Minseok classifies as “_haven’t seen another human being in at least 3 years this is so weird”_ manner. It almost borders awkwardness, but neither of them could really look away- this was just so bizarre and strange.

Minseok had brought Jongdae his food again, reheated, with some fresh tea, his mind blank.

Jongdae was a lot more agreeable with food in his system, recovering some more after another IV bag infused with some medication designed for malnutrition and the very weak that Minseok had found. 

‘How long have you lived here?’ Jongdae asks after he swallows his slice of bread. It wasn’t freshly baked, but it was still soft, and Minseok had decided that it shouldn’t be too heavy on Jongdae’s stomach. The vegetable soup he had made was finished, alongside Minseok’s own bowl because Jongdae was clearly famished even though he was clearly trying to restrain himself from overeating.

At least he was very self-aware, and that was a good sign. His head trauma wasn’t effecting his senses and decisions.

‘3 years.’ Minseok replies as though he didn’t know the date down to the hours, ‘What about you? How long have you been, uh, travelling and destroying PuriZones?’

Jongdae smiles over the cup of tea in his hands, ‘This is the first time in 5 years I’ve had tea.’

Putting it down and going for another slice of bread adds, ‘And your PuriZone was my 25th.’

Minseok is not quite ready for the answers he was going to receive if he asked questions on that side so he hopes to change topics by asking, ‘Where are you going? There’s…there’s nothing left anymore.’

‘But you can see it right? Things are starting to grow again.’ Jongdae studies the slice of bread in his hands carefully, pushing and pulling slowly as though studying its texture. Instead of eating the bits of bread he had pinched off, he picks up his teacup instead.

‘It’s been decades since the Strain. So of course,’ Minseok replies, ‘We’ve always observed it.’

Of course this was a fact- of course nature built an immunity, nature evolved; the Strain wasn’t expected to continuously ravage and destroy the earth.

‘Observed,’ Jongdae nods with a smile, still looking down at his teacup as though fascinated. ‘But not lived.’

‘Why- why are you destroying the PuriZones?’ Minseok asks, almost in a whisper. ‘What- what will that do?’

Jongdae puts the teacup down and goes back to pinching off bits of bread instead.

‘7 years ago,’ Jongdae begins, ‘After my Bunker set off for Trappist and I was left to watch over it, I was- I was not happy.’

Minseok understands that all too well.

‘I was not happy, and I was trapped- my Bunker was both my sanctuary, and my prison. I could not- I could not think of a way to possibly _live _like that- there was nothing to live for, at least I felt that then- I just thought- what was the point? Of me just-…just staying there? I mean- why are _you _still just staying here?’

‘I-‘

‘Wait- wait, I’m sorry that was-‘ Jongdae grimaces at himself. ‘That was unfair- and insensitive I’m sorry.’

Minseok gives him a small shrug.

‘I couldn’t continue staying there, so I just- I just left.’

Minseok gapes at Jongdae.

‘You just left your Bunker?’

Jongdae nods, gently tilting his tea around.

‘I-…I packed everything I would need. My bunker was equipped with a lot of vehicles and I took one, modified it as best as I could, packed it with what I would need- enough for nearly 3 months, and then I just- I just left.’

Minseok cannot imagine leaving his Bunker.

‘The first month was- well, it was difficult of course. I’ve never been outside the Bunker, never really learnt or experienced beyond the occasional excursion of what it was like to _travel _outside.’ Jongdae narrates. ‘And I was terrified- absolutely terrified. Some 6 weeks after I first left my Bunker, I thought I was going to lose my mind and just die. I had a lot of regrets – dying for no reason, and with no one to blame but my own frustrations and anger. I think I hit a really low point and I genuinely attempted to just- well, end my life.’

Minseok inhales sharply.

‘Obviously I’m still here, so I didn’t succeed,’ Jongdae grins, waving a hand as though to reassure Minseok, ‘Towards the very end I just drove my vehicle to a nice clearing over a hilly top that was overlooking the sea, I mean, I guess you gotta be dramatic right? I decided I would dramatically walk out of my vehicle, and without any suit, just walk towards the sea. I specifically chose my timing where it wasn’t raining, and then I just- I just stepped out.’

Jongdae pauses a while, tipping around his teacup slowly.

‘I walked. It was- it was so- so cold,’ Jongdae laughs, ‘it was so cold and I- I just walked. The air was so cold but I- I guess I don’t know, it felt right. Like I was doing the right thing, like I thought that what I was doing was right. No longer trapped, no longer needing that protection I just- I just stepped forward and-‘ Jongdae laughs quietly, ‘I almost felt as though the whole of earth, all of _life _around me was just waiting for me to take off that damn suit.’

Minseok waits with baited breath as Jongdae pauses again, eyes unblinking as he stares at the teacup.

‘Then I just walked. I just walked forward and- I took off my shoes, I don’t know why, but I did and I don’t recommend walking barefoot on the beach it’s not the most comfortable,’ Jongdae laughs, ‘It was so windy- _so _windy and I almost felt like I couldn’t breathe- like I didn’t know how to breathe. Everything sounded so-…so _clear_. And I thought that it was raining but I realized it was the sea- I guess the waves splashing around was carried by the wind and-‘ Jongdae chuckles lowly again, ‘I guess it was like what they call being baptized- being cleansed- like I was born again. In that moment I couldn’t stop crying- I couldn’t-…all of my anger, frustrations, pain- the betrayal, hurt- self-doubt, all of it I just- it was nothing to me at that point, none of that mattered and I just- I just let the ocean wave hit me…’

Minseok hears it, hears the sound of the ocean waves but it’s not what he’s heard before- it’s new; he can almost taste it- the salt in the air, the cold of the wind weaving through his hair, his ears turning cold, the wet sand seeping water into his pant cuffs.

‘The tide pushed me back,’ Jongdae says quietly, ‘It-…it washed me, and then pushed me back it was so dumb- if anyone saw they’d have thought I had gone mad but- I kept trying to push in but it was so difficult and I kept being pushed back. So I just stayed at the edge of the beach- just sort of sat there for a really long time, I think I was cold, but I finally felt at peace- I couldn’t look away, couldn’t move from the beach I just kept looking and looking and looking- like I was waiting and- I realized that while I was definitely waiting, I realized that I have finally- _finally _arrived.’

‘And that was when the clouds moved and-‘ Jongdae lets out a small breathless laugh, his eyes sparkling with the light of the sun from a distant memory- alight with a beauty long past but held close, ‘-and then the sun came out and it was- I just had one thought. One question.’

‘What was it?’

‘How did we allow ourselves to _ever _give up?’

*

Chen, the android, obliges as it stands in the down-port again. Jongdae had said that he’d be able to better explain everything with his findings regarding the Strain he stored in Chen.

‘Ah,’ Jongdae grins, looking through Chen’s data, ‘You’ve done some tinkering?’

‘I tried,’ Minseok replies, ‘I’m not an Android Maintainer so honestly I was just checking to see if everything was okay with it.’

‘Yeah he’s okay.’

‘Did you reboot him?’

‘Not exactly no,’ Jongdae explains, ‘He no longer functions as most X-21’s would. He’s just basically my uh, I guess for now, assistant, his android core still functions, but I use his internal drive to store my data, so I used up all of his initial RAM as my own personal computer.’

‘Ah- is that why I couldn’t get any information off of him?’

‘Yes,’ Jongdae laughs, ‘It’s actually accessible here from the main port but-‘

‘-I’m not in android maintenance!’ Minseok repeats defensively.

Somehow this makes Jongdae grin wider.

‘So…the Strain…’

‘It’s gone,’ Jongdae nods. ‘It’s only being spread by the PuriZones right now.’

‘If- if it’s _gone_, then why-‘

‘-why would we leave Earth?’ Jongdae steps back from Chen, ‘Why leave a planet that we were born in, a planet that was evidently healing itself- a planet where the resources were starting to grow back, where humanity could try and move forward again?’

Minseok nods hesitantly.

Jongdae moves to a screen, tapping along the newly loaded interface from Chen’s system.

‘There was, in the past, a theory that the Strain was purposefully introduced to Earth.’ Jongdae says quietly.

‘Are you saying that’s true?’

‘I don’t know,’ Jongdae says truthfully. ‘I don’t know what happened in the past but- but as a result of the Strain, with how it spread, how it moved, and what came after-‘

‘-hunger, famine, war?’

‘-and what came after that,’ Jongdae smiles, ‘-and where we ended up being- organized units of united people, living for one cause, living for survival.’

‘Are you suggesting the Strain was purposefully introduced to bring humanity under control?’

‘I’m saying I wouldn’t be surprised.’

‘This was- this was a long time ago-‘

‘-and which is why the _why _and _how _of what happened then, isn’t really relevant _now _anymore,’ Jongdae says taking a slow breath, ‘-but it is relevant to understand the decisions taken for all of humanity to just leave Earth and go elsewhere.’

‘You’re saying that- that people knew about the Strain going away, about Earth recovering, yet they still chose to leave?’

Jongdae nods.

‘Why would they do that?’

Jongdae shrugs and asks, ‘If you had the choice to go to Trappist, wouldn’t you have gone too?’

‘I-…yes, but that was- that was before knowing.’ Minseok replies, ‘If what you’re saying is true- then I would choose to stay on Earth, to improve it, to make it so that we could really live again.’

‘I think…I think that in the end, those people who knew, somehow believed that, as a…as a society, as a species, we would have repeated history over again, had we continued to stay here on Earth.’

Minseok is appalled.

‘But-‘

‘I had doubts too- but then I realized that when I was purposefully left behind, forced to guard the Bunker as everyone left- that maybe that wasn’t too far off,’ Jongdae says nonchalantly.

Minseok feels his stomach churn.

_Purposefully left behind._

‘Wasn’t there that saying, that _everywhere you go, there you are_?’ Jongdae looks back for a second before turning his attention back to the screen. ‘I think the same could be applied to humanity- take all of the worse traits of humanity- our greed, desire, hatred- leaving a planet will not change that- it won’t change the fact that as individuals, we all carry these traits. We simply relive what we know, what has been done, not because we try to repeat the past, but because so much of it is just naturally inherent.’

Jongdae taps along the screen a few times before turning around fully, wincing a little as he gingerly touches his neck, ‘But the same can be said, of humanities good traits. And maybe right now- the ones who made the decision to leave Earth even with the knowledge that it was getting better, with the knowledge that the PuriZones were introduced to simply further spread and maintain levels of the Strain in nature, made those decisions because they knew, and because they also _hoped _that things would change for the better.’

‘You would still say that, even after what the people in your Bunker did to you?’ Minseok whispers.

Jongdae shrugs, a small smile on his face, ‘Maybe not _them _specifically, but sure. Maybe there is some hope – maybe there is something more waiting for humanity in Trappist. Maybe in the end, this was a good thing.’

Minseok stays silent, thinking hard and also somehow, unable to think.

‘I came to suspect the Strain after my little epiphany at the beach,’ Jongdae continues, looking around for a place to sit as he leans heavily on the side of the down-port. Minseok gestures towards the side of the room where benches line up the wall. He drags across a mounted screen for accessing the down-port where Chen was still hooked up.

Obviously I did not immediately start becoming rabid or terribly feverish and sick. I had a runny nose which, I mean, a cold day at the beach should definitely give you that,’ Jongdae chuckles as he sits down heavily, leaning back carefully and closing his eyes. ‘I won’t fall asleep,’ he adds, already replying to Minseok’s warning. Minseok’s not sure what to do with a concussed person, but he knows they can’t fall asleep, so he plans on keeping it that way. He had brought out a wheelchair for him to use but Jongdae refused. He walked with a slight limp, but Minseok doesn’t want to ask just yet.

‘I’ll kick you from under the table if I think you’re going to nod off,’ Minseok threatens.

Jongdae laughs heartily, eyes still closed.

‘After that day at the beach I decided to not wear the suit. I mean I kept it nearby for emergencies or something- I guess I was also checking to see how long it would take me to get infected but nothing happened. It didn’t rain for 2 whole weeks in that area until I figured out why.’

‘What was it?’

‘The first time I entered a PuriZone was a mistake,’ Jongdae says, leaning against the wall, legs tucking up as Minseok was placing the screen over the table. ‘I think it might have been struck down by an actual storm, and I found it wrecked. And around it everything was dead. The soil was black and dust like in some places, sludge like in some. It smelt terrible. I put on my suit and I went in. It was incredibly cramped, and I nearly tore my suit a few times but I paced myself- I wasn’t the strongest at this point so I was being careful with how I moved. But I managed to get myself to one of the control rooms. None of the androids were functional in there.’

‘Is that where you found Chen?’

Jongdae laughs, ‘No- that’s another story.’

Minseok looks over at Chen, and finds that the android is already looking over, as though it knew he was being discussed.

‘But once I was able to connect to it- and I translated the android jargon, and really just lived inside the PuriZone for a few days I got these,’ Jongdae leans in over the screen and taps along the edge of the screen to access a few tabs. He opens an access-point and Minseok finds himself looking down at what must be a record of atmospheric readings.

‘See this?’ Jongdae points out at a thin blue line expanding across the chart. ‘This is the oxygen level.’

‘That’s incredibly stable,’ Minseok frowns.

‘It is-‘

‘The CO2 is balanced too- wait- but…’ Minseok frowns. It was due to the imbalance of CO2 levels that Earth’s atmosphere had nearly turned toxic- it was why even before the Strain, most people wore air-purifying masks or filters.

It had been said that Earth wouldn’t be able to recover to what it once was.

‘And this-‘ Jongdae taps on a bright white line. ‘This is the Strain.’

Minseok follows it’s levels, well above 8 in this scale of 0 to 10, until it completely disengages after a certain time, along with everything else.

‘I was confused- I didn’t understand,’ Jongdae tells him. ‘But after I managed to look past what I didn’t want to see, it made sense to me. The PuriZones were actively spreading the Strain over Earth, maintaining the idea and belief that Earth could not be saved, and that we have to leave.’

Minseok stares at the white line, the glare of it burning his eyes.

‘I decided to go back to my Bunker, with what I found, and really analyze everything. My Bunker was more than stocked with information I would need- and that was how I also called down the PuriZone that was assigned to my Bunker.

I watched my zone transform in a matter of _months_\- I had trees growing slowly outside, I even had a stream pour through an area,’ Jongdae laughs and adds, ‘I even saw _flowers _– wild flowers, blooming.’

Minseok finds himself smiling at that.

‘I recorded every single change, every single step- I tried to hail more PuriZones, but my location wouldn’t allow me to do so. Then I changed track.’

‘Where did you decide to go?’

‘East, I thought,’ Jongdae shrugs, ‘I guess you could say I was walking towards the light.’

Minseok smiles at that.

‘Here,’ Jongdae taps out of the chart and opens another.

‘I took this PuriZone down after I found the Bunker it was assigned to. That Bunker was barely functioning, overgrown inside where it was protected from the rain, home to so _so _many animals.’ Jongdae smiles, ‘It was absolutely amazing.’

‘What type? How many? Were they mutated?’

‘They were,’ Jongdae replies with a nod, ‘But harmless- evolved to live as they do because…because of what we did I guess.’

He opens a link, and in it are pictures that takes Minseok’s breath away.

Animals, creatures, insects- familiar yet different- a hint of wonder and curiosity in their eyes as they look into the camera in some of the pictures, as though regarding Jongdae with mild curiosity, no thought of fear or instinct to run at the sight of a predator.

Because that’s what they were, ultimately, and in the end.

Predators and scavengers.

‘Some are shy- some a bit dangerous,’ Jongdae laughs, ‘I think maybe some sort of cat must have chased me across the length of a whole hallway in one of those Bunkers. I think it was more afraid of me, rather than me of it. But I got out- escaped into the rain. Luckily had my suit on.’

‘So-…so you can access the PuriZones from the assigned Bunker?’ Minseok asks after a while, soaking in all of this information.

‘Not all of them have the access though- just assigned,’ Jongdae explains. ‘Out of the 15 I visited, I could only access 6 that were assigned. Took out all together 25 now.’

Minseok remembers looking for the PuriZones, and how so many were deactivated or offline.

‘How did you take down the others?’

Jongdae grins, ‘I flew.’

‘What?’ Minseok’s head snaps up, ‘You can fly? You’re a pilot?’

Jongdae shakes his head, ‘I’m not a pilot – but Chen is.’

‘But- but X-21 isn’t- isn’t he your secretary?‘

‘Mainly my secretary. But no, X-21s aren’t supposed to fly things. But I am a bit of a programmer,’ Jongdae grins before he says, ‘I didn’t introduce myself properly, I’m Kim Jongdae, from the Development and Programming Department.’

‘Oh- well, I’m Kim Minseok, and I’m a bioengineer for the Archive.’

‘Archive?’ Jongdae grins, ‘Then all of this will be very fun to write down and analyze I’m guessing.’

Minseok huffs out a small laugh, ‘At least you’re organized.’

Jongdae laughs heartily, leaning back again and closing his eyes.

After a moment he says, ‘This is off topic and I know I’m concussed and all of that but- but this is nice.’

‘Discussing how a few people in authority could have possibly purposefully destroyed Earth as a means of uniting people together in an attempt for peace is nice?’ Minseok asks incredulously.

Jongdae laughs again, eyes still closed.

‘Yeah- yeah it’s nice- it’s nice discussing it with someone else- it’s nice to finally see someone else.’

It was nice. It was incredibly nice- strange, of course, but very nice.

‘You- you never met anyone else? In all of these years? I’m sure there should be other Bunkers-‘

Jongdae grimaces a little, his lips forming a funny line as he shrugs, ‘No- it’s been five years, and 15 Bunkers- 16 now, but you’re the first.’

*

Minseok goes through every sample Jongdae has processed, every finding he picked up in the Bunkers, all of which were abandoned or now lost as their guardians died or were lost. Jongdae had extensively recorded and archived his findings, allowing Minseok a clear chronological list where he could test and compare his analysis.

And Minseok studies each sample, records every single detail, combs through every single data and information.

There was a lot to take in- a lot to understand- a lot to _accept_.

But almost at the same time- the same way Jongdae had said earlier that day, somehow what was in the past, in relation to where and how they were now, in this present, seemed almost irrelevant. Of course it changed so much- so much of what Minseok thought was true, thought was meaningful- but with where Minseok himself was now, in the world, on this Earth- his place as an individual in an abandoned planet, left to die- somehow, in this scale, what happened in the past was almost…almost meaningless.

There was nothing Minseok could do about it.

‘How do you take down PuriZones?’

Jongdae refused to be pushed on the wheelchair but clearly couldn’t walk. So he’s taken it on himself to push himself forward. Chen walks behind them, a comfortable distance behind Jongdae.

‘I force it to deactivate,’ Jongdae explains, ‘Then I disable the whole system from within to shut down- the Strain is protein-based so-‘

That made sense.

‘Sometimes I can do that from the Bunkers- but sometimes I have to fly up. One of the Bunkers I got to was where they developed and modeled transporters. They also had air-based transporters- mainly built for rescue or repairing PuriZones if doing it systematically failed.’

Minseok nods to that.

‘Of course I didn’t know how to fly any of them and I moved on,’ Jongdae laughs a bit at Minseok’s confused expression. ‘I returned there after 2 years, after I found Chen.’

‘How did you meet Chen?’

‘I came across Survivors,’ Jongdae tells him lightly. ‘And they were the human kind- always much more aggressive and dangerous. I guess that tells you a lot about humans in general.’

Minseok grimaces, his skin tingling.

‘It was terrible- I think there were about 50 of them? They were all inside this Bunker that looked really old- incredibly old, I don’t know how long it might have been there- definitely as old as me.’ Jongdae says thoughtfully. ‘And I was running- I didn’t have any weapons on me, I kinda got used to travelling without much danger and I just assumed most Bunkers were safe. Conditioning,’ he grins, ‘And then I nearly fill into this lot. That’s when I injured my leg- I broke my femur,’ he points to his thigh, ‘And the muscle tore as well. And just as I thought, well this is it, Chen showed up. He literally carried me – not comfortable by the way – and we bolted. He took me up in the Bunker, inaccessible, and straight to the medical units. It took me nearly 2 months to heal enough but Chen brought me food, brought me things I would need, and when I got strong enough to walk properly, found that he had barricaded the whole Bunker so efficiently, even I couldn’t get out.’

Minseok laughs at that.

‘He was left behind, kinda like me I guess, and I decided, that the same way he took care of me, I would take care of him,’ Jongdae nods and grins towards the android that was simply standing there.

‘Then you put in flying into his database?’

Jongdae grins and nods, ‘Yeap.’

Minseok just chuckles quietly.

‘Then after that it was just- it was great,’ Jongdae sighs out slowly, ‘Of course I didn’t fly out when it was very stormy- light rain was fine, but- storms were definitely out of the question.’

‘Is that what happened to you?’

Jongdae nods slowly, wincing a little as he touches his neck subconsciously. ‘There’s a Bunker, the one in the next zone- that’s where I was for about 4 months I guess?’

‘Chen visited me several times,’ Minseok says abruptly, ‘That’s about the right timing too I guess.’

Jongdae blinks at that then huffs a small laugh to himself, ‘Yeah- I wondered where he went off to all by himself. It’s not strange that he does- I dunno why he does it, but he likes to explore. I was taking samples in that zone, and restocking on fuel for the transporters, and he would be gone for days.’

‘Yeah- he would come visit me- bring me gifts.’

‘Is the peach-pit from here?’ Jongdae looks down at his hands, as though expecting it to be there. ‘He brought it for me after the accident.’

‘What happened?’

‘There was a massive ship- an ocean ship,’ Jongdae clarifies, ‘I don’t know how long it was out in the ocean, but it was old- quite old and I think the tide or something, maybe a storm out in the oceans, pushed it towards the shore and out of it- it was madness.’

‘Survivors?’

Jongdae nods.

So that explained it.

‘They came here,’ Minseok whispers.

‘What?’

‘I- they came here, I don’t know how or- or maybe Chen was leading them away-‘

‘-the Bunker I was in- it was very broken down, abandoned ages ago, the walls falling apart, but I was safe in the high regions but the amount of Survivors that broke out of the ship,’ Jongdae says almost breathlessly- ‘I thought it was over for me- I didn’t think I’d be able to do anything but- but Chen somehow drew them away-‘

‘-straight here,’ Minseok frowns.

‘I don’t think he meant to uh kill you-‘

‘-no I think- somehow, it calculated that- that the Bunker would be able to- this Bunker, would be able to push back- would be able to stand.’

Jongdae seems in shock, blinking at the android that’s just idling standing about.

‘Your android really put me through a lot of stress.’ Minseok laughs.

Jongdae just shakes his head, ‘I don’t know what to say-‘

‘-I guess it’s fine- he was just doing what must have computed as being most reasonable and with the highest chances of survival for you.’

Jongdae pauses a moment, just looking at the android before smiling. ‘Yeah I guess so.’

‘But why were you in that box?’

‘I did not place myself in that box,’ Jongdae laughs, ‘After I found another PuriZone, and Chen got back, we flew up- we were hit by a storm, and we crashed down. I wasn’t badly injured I don’t think- when I gained consciousness, Chen was taking me back into the Bunker. But then I think I really did injure myself- my head at least. Because I kept slipping in and out of consciousness. So I think a few days after that event, I find myself here.’

Chen must have dragged Jongdae here all the way from the other Bunker.

Minseok makes a mental note of really keeping an eye on Jongdae, his injury was probably incredibly serious and needed careful looking after.

They move from the Android Maintenance units, and mainly because Jongdae wants a tour of the Bunker, Minseok takes him to the inner-garden rings.

Minseok picks a few apples and hands one to Jongdae.

‘These should be sweet.’ Minseok comments, looking about for the paring knife he knows is somewhere in the clearing. He finds it, and turning back to Jongdae is surprised to find the other man crying.

He’s cradling the apples in his hands, tears silently flowing down his cheeks.

Minseok doesn’t know what to do, just stands there.

‘Sorry I-‘ Jongdae huffs out with a small chuckle. ‘I just-‘ his smile is wobbly as he looks up at Minseok. ‘I feel like I’ve…in a weird way, almost come full circle.’

‘What do you mean?’ Minseok asks, approaching slowly.

Jongdae rubs the apple against his sleeve, making the red core shiny before he just grins and says, ‘Just remembering an old story about apples and gardens.’

*

Jongdae does not like being under medical surveillance but Minseok won’t allow what could possibly be the only other human in this immediate area other than himself to just suddenly die. And Jongdae was proving to be an absolutely easy and amiable Bunker-mate. Injuries and all. Despite the occasional zoning out, slight hearing problem, sometimes blacking out momentarily, and losing his hand grip on cups and plates and screwdrivers, Jongdae was quite healthy.

But Jongdae just laughs at Minseok’s worries- not in a cruel way or mocking way- but more in a rather embarrassed way- like he was not used to it. Which makes Minseok a little concerned with how Jongdae might have grown up, or how he was treated in the past.

Here at his Bunker, Minseok grew up loved and his whole community lived harmoniously with each other, caring for each other because they knew how important it was to live in a way that nurtured the virtues of human behavior.

Minseok isn’t even trying to be overbearing or overly fussy- he doesn’t think it’s being overly polite just to hand Jongdae his plate of food because said man was hit with a bout of dizziness and was unable to stand up. At one point throughout the first week, Minseok thinks maybe he’s overcompensating because he hasn’t had any contact with another human being in so long but it’s not the case. Minseok is fairly certain that helping an injured person to stand wasn’t anything over bearing. But Jongdae seems a little lost.

‘I guess my Bunker wasn’t the best place to be in,’ Jongdae gives him a small shrug when Minseok tentatively asks him if he’s uncomfortable receiving help. ‘Especially if you weren’t useful.’

‘But- but you were in the Development and Programming Department- that’s _very _useful,’ Minseok frowns.

Jongdae looks a bit uncomfortable before he shrugs again, ‘It’s what they think I guess.’

The next few weeks is just Minseok showing Jongdae around the whole Bunker, setting up a room for him once Minseok is sure he doesn’t need to continue to stay in the Medical Units, and taking him to the Observatory.

Jongdae is delighted as he watches the ocean, even more so as he spots the beached PuriZone, very pleased with himself.

‘Hey, you wanna go check it out?’ Jongdae offers, not looking back.

‘Oh I uh-‘

The PuriZone Minseok had called over was deactivated a few days ago, and they were experiencing mild and warm weather. Minseok is still extremely nervous about stepping out without a bio-suit or even letting up the air filtration system. And Jongdae hadn’t pushed him to do so either. He also gave the reasoning that as the rain had been falling for a while, it was best to just let nature run its course properly. Minseok was half afraid Jongdae might do something crazy like deactivate the Bunker’s systems but he displayed no signs of wanting to do so.

‘Besides, I kinda need to recover,’ Jongdae had laughed when Minseok had tentatively asked him if he wanted to go out.

Jongdae tired very easily- his head injury was giving Minseok a lot of worry because head injuries were not predictable and could showcase strange side effects at random.

Chen is incredibly useful in this. Following Jongdae everywhere, standing guard over him as he slept, and always ready to stabilize him if he tripped or his muscles gave out. Right now the android was standing close to Jongdae, also watching the beached PuriZone.

‘No I think- I don’t really uh-‘ Minseok stammers out, fiddling with his fork where he sat. Minseok suggested they eat dinner at the Observatory; Jongdae had been more preoccupied going over every single crook and cranny within the Observatory rather than eat.

Jongdae just smiles at him with a small nod.

‘I’ll go check it out once I’m stronger,’ Jongdae says.

A weird fear seizes Minseok at the idea of Jongdae stepping out in his condition, but he pushes the thought away.

Minseok listens to Jongdae most times. He enjoyed listening to his stories of his travels, discoveries; Jongdae brings with him a world Minseok has grown up in, but never lived in – stories that Minseok can now feel, as Jongdae narrates and describes his steps, his sight, his senses.

‘My original zone was quite barren- even naturally, in the past, it used to be a desert,’ Jongdae explains. ‘We had mountains, but no snow, it was a harsh terrain. Samples were hard to find, unless you were just extracting soil – we used to have tunneling rigs to pull up samples from deep within the soil, trying to find water reservoirs – if they still ran that is. We used to find oil deposits too, but that’s no use to us anymore.’

Minseok and Jongdae take a break inside the outer-rings. Jongdae leans against a tree, looking up with a smile as the sun shines down. Chen is in the distance, attempting to catch the leaves that were falling around slowly.

‘I lived in this zone during my 3rd year of travelling – it was filled with really old, hollowed out trees, and within the hollows were smaller trees, protected and covered by the outer trees. There was something so wonderfully hopeful about it I couldn’t stop smiling when I was there. The Bunker in that region had collapsed – I think it might have been taken down by an earthquake at some point. But inside- I’m guessing they grew quite a number of species of vegetation because inside was completely overrun with such a massive growth- even the air smelt different there. There was absolutely no sign of the Strain in there – all of the little creatures that lived there, which were really difficult to capture so I ended up having to find hair samples and well, fecal matter to study them – and they too were clean, no Strain, nothing. I loved it there, I think it might be one of my most favourite places.’

During the second week, even though it still felt incredibly wrong to Minseok despite everything he’s seen, everything Jongdae has said, they deactivate all of the PuriZones they can access from the Bunker.

‘You’re in a really good region,’ Jongdae had exclaimed, delighted that they could access a total of 18 PuriZones.

‘I think we were one of the last Bunkers to evacuate,’ Minseok tells Jongdae, ‘So a lot of the control codes and cores were sent to us.’

Jongdae nods to that.

‘Do you think there are others out there? And they’re just…just living inside the Bunkers, unaware, unsure?’ Minseok asks carefully.

Jongdae nods immediately, ‘Without a doubt- but like you said, these things weren’t timed or spanned out and communicated with each other it was just- whenever they were ready, or something.’

‘Every Bunker you visited was empty? What-…were you expecting people to be there?’

‘I don’t know how it worked, with other Bunkers, if they had the same policies regarding the rules and regulations, or the qualifications, or- well, how they would have run things,’ Jongdae says, ‘Some of the Bunkers looked like they were cleaned up, locked up, and evacuated neatly. Some places looked like it went through a war, evident displays and signs of fights and destruction- some places were scorched. But some I -,’ Jongdae sighs quietly, ‘Sometimes I uh, would find bodies.’

‘Oh.’

Minseok takes Jongdae to the lower levels- to all twelve levels, shows him the solar-powered reservoir of carefully preserved and maintained species and seeds and eggs. All waiting until the time humans were ready to come back to Earth. But now that Minseok really thinks about it, wonders what was the point of it all.

‘All of the Bunkers had places like this- well, some were emptied and destroyed- the place that had been scorched, the lower levels like this still smelt of smoke,’ Jongdae says quietly, crouching down gingerly to look down at a tray filled with carefully preserved saplings. ‘I tried my best to make sure they would still be running for decades- some places were running on reserves, which were depleting because the wiring had fried- probably some random thing like lightning or maybe even rats,’ Jongdae laughs.

Jongdae is especially pleased with the collection of transporters in Minseok’s Bunker. Minseok himself has never had to use any- unless it was the smaller one-man units he sometimes took out for speedy travels across the compound. But he’s only ever done it twice before.

‘These look so up to date!’ Jongdae remarks, grunting as he climbs into one of the transporters, leg dragging him a little. ‘I once drove around a transporter that was still fueled with petrol! God, I felt like I stank for so long.’

Jongdae likes the one-man units, he’s pleased with the light-weight built.

‘Wanna get better soon and take this out,’ Jongdae grins as he pats the seat. He had tried to swing his leg over but had failed spectacularly.

They’re in the lobby, and Minseok thinks that Jongdae has fallen asleep on the long couch. His eyes are closed, chest moving up and down slowly.

He looks better now, cheeks filled out, skin no longer splotched and bruised, hair healthy looking and shiny. He had happily declared that he had definitely put on some weight, praising Minseok’s cooking with genuine enthusiasm.

It’s odd, Minseok decides, how it seemed so strange to have someone else living in this space, someone else finding this place – how Jongdae came here, and how he lay here now, his breaths so easily and quietly intermingling with everything Minseok _knows_, as though it belonged.

Minseok leans back on his couch as well, timing his breath with Jongdae’s.

The sky is wide and open, stars blinking, not a single cloud in the sky.

‘Have you ever been up there before?’

Minseok starts at Jongdae’s quiet voice permeating the silence.

‘No,’ he replies quietly.

‘I did. Once.’

‘In- in that transporter?’

‘No- when I was younger,’ Jongdae breathes out quietly, ‘I was around 15 – I snuck in to a test-run they were overseeing for our mothership.’

Minseok remembers the mothership vividly- the lights flooding the entirety of the Bunker in a bright light, lingering in his sight for days after, lingering in his dreams for years after.

‘How was it?’

‘It was like the earth, the sky, the clouds- they just fell away and- and it was _endless_. And nothing mattered- I mean, how could it?’ Jongdae laughs quietly, ‘And for a moment it made sense to leave. It made sense that we all wanted to leave Earth – that we would hurl ourselves into a light we could not see, a light we could only hope existed- why stay when you just _be _in that endlessness. For that moment it made sense – and somehow, for me, at that moment, I thought I was home.’

It’s quiet, the stars above them move slowly, listening to Jongdae.

‘And now I’m-…sometimes when I look up like this- I still feel that way. I guess it’s what every human feels- from the past, when the Neanderthals looked up to the skies at night, maybe they felt that too.’ Jongdae sighs, ‘And maybe one day, maybe in another life, I’ll live that breath every day.’

Minseok exhales quietly, the stars shaking, swaying with his breath.

‘Out in the ocean, sometimes it’s all you can see – sometimes it’s the only thing you can see.’

‘I’m not much of a water person,’ Minseok manages to say.

Jongdae laughs, the stars shine brighter.

‘Actually neither am I,’ Jongdae confesses, ‘Maybe when I’m being dramatic, and when you think you have to do something to prove yourself, but not normally no.’

It’s quiet and Minseok thinks Jongdae has maybe fallen asleep again.

‘Is that why you keep moving?’ Minseok asks, barely audible, but Jongdae has heard him.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Why are you travelling?’ Minseok asks, ‘Why do any of this? By the time they return, if they return, we would be long gone. We can’t say any of this will remain- the PuriZones could fall, storms or just age and time could bring them down – why do you keep doing this?’

Jongdae doesn’t reply immediately.

The stars seem to hold their breaths – the sky stills, all of earth seemed to hold its breath.

‘I just wanted to find shelter.’

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Authors’ Notes)
> 
> AYO  
Damn this update took forever hahahahahahah I am sorry  
I do have legitimate reasons though, and one of them being I had to fly out due to immigration visa bullshit reasons and i guess for me, I dunno how others might feel, but it’s a weird description, but I’ve always felt like I belong to the skies, being really high up, and when I was on the plane idk why but things seemed to really make sense, looking down and looking over the curvature of the horizon, it just made sense, seeing the stars that almost felt eye-level, it just made sense to me and I wanted to write that in for Jongdae ehe  
I hope I can have updates sooner and I think this month should be enough for me to finish this fic! I really hope so T_T  
Again I’m sorry for taking too much time!!!


	5. 010001110110111101101111011001000110111001101001011001110110100001110100

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please listen to Hwasa's LMM while reading for a spiritual experience!

_‘We’ll be okay.’_

_‘I know.’_

_‘I’ll make sure of it.’_

*

Living with Jongdae is surprisingly easy.

He was easy to live with. He adjusted very well, did not get in the way (all though that could be credited to the fact that it was 2 humans living in a Bunker designed for 10 to 12,000 people living in it), and was neat. He washed the dishes he used, cleaned up after himself, and really seemed to enjoy showering a lot.

‘It’s just- sometimes when you’re on the road, you don’t get to shower very often,’ Jongdae had sheepishly explained when he had to ask Minseok for some sort of moisturizer, his skin having dried out. Minseok changes out the soap dispenser in his facilities to a more conditioner-based one.

Jongdae was also fun to talk to. Minseok’s not entirely sure how much of it was just him missing human interaction like this. But he liked listening to Jongdae chat merrily in the kitchen, helping him out with food. He picked up quickly on Minseok’s schedule but didn’t entirely follow him around. He did what he wanted, but without at all intruding into Minseok’s own routine. He liked to go over all of Minseok’s samples and research, asking questions all over the place.

It was nice. Minseok genuinely enjoys this company.

And Chen, the android, a silent addition that pushed Jongdae around when his leg acted up or if he was hit with dizziness.

Jongdae loved walking about the trees in the outer-rings. He was very fascinated and interested in the fertilization system, filtration system, and recycling system that allowed both the outer and inner-ring gardens to exist. They had gone down to the lowest level, and Minseok hadn’t really thought much about it, but his Bunker genuinely had some of the best life-support systems.

Jongdae followed after him as he explained how a complicated bioengineered reef-like system that surrounded the deep foundations of the Bunker were designed to keep their store of earth, hydroponic planters for the trees, and a cooling system that filtered and processed the air inside the bunker through these deep air-tunnels. It’s quite cold down here, and Jongdae’s leg starts to hurt so they make their exit.

‘That’s so cool,’ Jongdae says, rubbing down his leg in an effort to build up warmth. ‘I haven’t been able to quite get in too deep into the air-filtration systems in other Bunkers, but that’s- that’s really smart.’

Minseok had pulled up all of the information regarding the Bunker’s many systems, and Jongdae had spent several days pouring over all of the details with great interest in the Lobby, occasionally finding Minseok to ask him some detail or to help guide him to a lab to check on something. 

And.

It’s just really nice, Minseok thinks to himself.

It’s almost too easy preparing a meal for two- or setting out plates for two people. Minseok is surprised how easily he’s able to move past his isolation, quickly adjusting so that he could include Jongdae into his schedule. Jongdae is the one who seems to have more difficulty coping; but he seems to be aware of his own actions. He becomes more comfortable asking Minseok for help outside of research, realizing he could depend on Minseok if he needed to. 

‘Do you think we should try planting some of the hydropods outside?’ Jongdae asks over breakfast.

He had put on a good amount of weight, his skin healthy, cheeks coloured. His eyes were clear and not glazed over or hazy. His hair which he had trimmed by himself had grown out of the “freshly cut” stage and was soft and bouncy. The front of his hair is pushed back messily as a result of yanking the apron he had worn earlier. He was concentrating on peeling the skin of an apple and Minseok was only just mildly anxious for the safety of his fingers. Not without reason of course, because Jongdae _had _cut his finger _twice _before in the process of cutting some champignon mushroom, and cherry tomatoes.

Minseok ponders Jongdae’s question.

If there was any one sure way of checking to see if the Strain was still present or lingering, would be to start testing from the lowest and safest level. Planting a few of their hydropods would be an easy test without terrible consequences in case anything bad were to happen. Minseok is sure that the hydro-greenhouses wouldn’t suffer the loss of a few pods.

‘I’ll go take some samples from outside,’ Minseok nods as he accepts a slice of apple from Jongdae, ‘We can spread out, plant a few across the compound.’

Jongdae looks excited.

‘I can monitor the pH, check to see which of the plants we have best suits outside,’ Minseok continues, already going through the list of plants they had on them.

After breakfast, Minseok prepares a kit to take with him to collect the appropriate samples. He also takes with him tags and markers to pinpoint where he would want to plant the pods. Choosing a wide range of locations within the compound would probably be the smartest way around.

Jongdae doesn’t comment when Minseok pulls on his bio-suit, instead giving him a hand (though not necessary) in securing his helmet. He insists the Chen go with him so Minseok gives the android his kit to carry.

It’s beautiful outside. The lack of PuriZones lifting the heavy clouds, and the growth Minseok had witnessed in the past month is back but it was flourishing even more. The earth below him is no longer water-logged, and there’s a fresh burst of growth all around him.

‘_How’s it?’_ Jongdae asks, his voice filtering through Minseok’s ear-piece. It’s odd but pleasant hearing an actual person speaking to him over the ear-piece rather than the automated voice of the Bunker’s security system or support AI.

‘Well, I’m not slipping,’ Minseok remarks, looking down. He would always be tense walking across the compound. For a variety of reasons of course but also fear of slipping on water-logged soil and loose pebbles and stones. But the earth is firm beneath his feet and Minseok is suddenly filled with a very strange and delayed realization that _everything was changed_.

Jongdae had survived- _lived _out here for years. With no safety equipment against the Strain- and now, here was Minseok, firm earth beneath his feet and a clear blue sky above him, sun shining all around him and just –

‘_You okay?’_

Minseok has to shake himself a little, hands forming fists a few times before loosening up a little again.

‘Yeah-‘ Minseok replies breathlessly.

The only thing that stood between himself and just _life _was this bio-suit.

‘Yeah I’m- it’s just honestly rare to walk out here, with the sun out and like- just, there’s grass.’

Jongdae doesn’t respond and Minseok doesn’t mind. Taking a moment to just sort of linger in this strange moment, Minseok readies himself and moves forward.

They cover nearly the entire compound. Chen neatly places the markers on the ground, little white flags sticking up from the green grass near where Minseok digs up samples of the soil, placing them into individual tubes before sealing them securely. Too far out in the compound, the ear-piece can’t pick up on the short radio frequencies and Minseok is wrapped in an all too loud silence of life growing around him.

Everything was the same, and yet, everything had changed.

Minseok spies small aphids on the stalks of the some of the grass, and it’s overwhelming to witness. He carefully collects a few flimsy stalks of the weeds and grass, placing them inside other tubes to analyze.

It’s high noon when Minseok walks back with Chen.

Jongdae’s smiling face greets them through the small window on the doorways, firmly locked while Minseok and Chen patiently wait for the disinfectants to wash over them. They’re immediately dried up as well, and Minseok barely has time to say a single word before Jongdae is pushing a hot-flask of tea at him and then grabbing his hand and half-limp-jogging with him towards the labs.

Minseok laughs, carefully balancing the hot-flask in his hand before keeping up with Jongdae’s excited pace.

‘I was also thinking,’ Jongdae tells him excitedly, ‘The other Bunker- I guess you could say your next door bunker, the one I was crashing at, it had a lot of still secured and stored pods and reserves of seeds. I think we could definitely bring some here to test and we can observe them!’

Minseok thinks that’s a good idea. But only if they were living under normal circumstances.

‘From what I’ve seen,’ Jongdae continues as they make it into the labs, Chen is already there, picking out the kit Minseok had had decontaminated and sent down and placing it on the examination table. ‘There’s a really wide variety of plants out there- growing wild and all over the place. But they’re mainly evolved- I don’t think we should expect immediate growth from the pods that still rely on the chemical composition of a time long gone. But it’s possible to observe how they will evolve!’

They take out the samples from the kit and Minseok instructs Jongdae on the steps needed to properly prepare an analysis. Jongdae pushes his hands through the gloved encasing to access the plating process inside the sealed chambers. Minseok then takes the time to carefully extract the aphids from the grass and examine them under the microscope.

They appeared healthy, no trace of Strain on them. They’re different looking though, and the lab-assistant AI has no record on the species of aphid. Minseok guesses that it’s an evolved species.

There’s a thrill that fills him, realizing he was documenting the genesis of a new species- of new life on Earth.

‘Ah- I think I need to sit down,’ Jongdae suddenly says, sounding a little nauseous. Minseok quickly spans the distance between the two of them and steadies the other man, guiding him to one of the work-benches.

Jongdae’s eyes are screwed up, tears clinging to his lashes.

‘Hey, you in pain?’ Minseok asks gently, not sure why he was checking his temperature.

‘No- not exactly,’ Jongdae sniffs, ‘The lights were a bit sharp, and my sight got blurry.’

Minseok wishes he had more training in the medical field. He knows that Jongdae’s head injury wasn’t a light one. And that there should be some form of diagnosis, maybe even medication that would help him out. But Minseok doesn’t know what to do or how to treat it. All he could do was just, maybe wait and see. And Minseok really hates that.

‘Any discomfort, or like, throbbing around your head?’

Jongdae smiles at him, like he knew what Minseok was getting at.

‘No, my head’s okay,’ he replies.

‘Are you sure?’

Jongdae nods gingerly, sitting back, head leaning back just a little to look up at him with a smile, ‘Yeah, I’d tell you.’

Minseok is still not appeased but there was nothing he could do.

‘Okay- we tone down the excitement then,’ Minseok says slowly, ‘Lights could be triggering too. I can have the interior lights altered to a more soothing tone.’

‘Oh-‘ Jongdae frowns, hands raised up, ‘-Minseok that’s not-‘

‘It’s only the two of us here,’ Minseok says firmly, ‘And you’re the one with the head trauma, not me- the lights can be warmer and I wouldn’t give a damn. I don’t want your progress being reduced by the kitchen lights or something.’

At that Jongdae laughs, tears running down the side of his face as he squints up at Minseok.

Minseok pats around his pockets before finding a small face towel. He hands it to Jongdae saying, ‘Don’t worry about it. I think we can also find you some protective light-filter glasses.’

Jongdae scowls at that.

‘Or you could just have water eyes all the time it’s your choice,’ Minseok grins down at him.

‘I really hate glasses,’ Jongdae complains, dabbing at the side of his face and under his eyes, ‘They never stay put!’

‘We can find those silicon-breaks for the elderly if you need them,’ Minseok laughs at Jongdae’s horrified expression.

Jongdae apologizes the rest of the day for not being helpful in anyway and Minseok keeps waving him off. They eat dinner at the lab, something Minseok quickly threw together, as they wait for the results. While they eat their dessert of apple pie, Minseok fiddles with the interior lights. They find the perfect balance of warmth for the lights without being too warm or tinted. Minseok also manages to get Jongdae back at the medical wing to get him his protective glasses. Minseok also finds eye-drops designed to soothe inflamed and or tired eyes. Minseok takes a bottle for himself too.

Jongdae slips on the glasses, looking at himself in the mirror.

‘Does the size need adjusting?’ Minseok asks, holding up a few more frames just in case. But Jongdae shakes his head, smiling at Minseok through the mirror.

‘It’s good! I hate to admit that this does feel better.’

Minseok laughs, shaking his head at Jongdae’s stubbornness.

‘You sure you don’t need those silicon-guards?’

Jongdae is very adamant.

They slowly walk back to the lab where the results are ready and waiting for them. Minseok quickly cross-references the results to the index of plants they had with them. The AI offers them a pretty decent list of available plants that would fit with pH of the soil samples.

‘We can start prepping the pods for transfer from tomorrow,’ Minseok ruminates, ‘There’s 9 plants listed here, but some of these are seasonal.’

Jongdae looks tired but excited.

‘We can take up the pods to the outer-rings,’ Minseok tells him, ‘It’ll be nicer too I think, if the weather continues like this.’

Without a PuriZone Minseok has no way of telling the weather patterns. But Jongdae, having lived outside in the world for quite a while, was quick to point out signs of changes in weather quite accurately.

‘It’ll be sunny tomorrow,’ Jongdae tells him with full confidence, ‘It’ll be nice.’

Minseok takes Jongdae’s word for it. 

Jongdae had only recently moved out of the medical wing where Minseok had insisted he stay for as long as he could. At least there, the monitors would alert him if anything were to go awry. But keeping him inside the medical wing seemed cruel especially after he had improved so much. Minseok prepares a room for him not too far from where he was staying himself and not too far from the medical wing either.

He makes sure that the shower is well stocked with plenty of soaps, shampoo, conditioner, and towels. He also has safety handrails like the ones in the medical wing shower stalls installed in the en suite.

Jongdae wishes him goodnight, limping into his room, the lights activating with his movement.

Minseok waits until he’s securely set inside, and he makes his way to his own room. But instead of going in, Minseok walks past his doorway and out to the lobby and then to the gateway zone.

The crate with which Chen had brought Jongdae here is still there, pushed to the side. The floors still have the scratch marks from where the crate had been dragged. He reaches for the little cog and screw still hanging around his neck absentmindedly. Minseok opens the doors to the decontamination chamber and stands right in front of the main door keeping him from the outside.

The moon is high in the night sky, silver blue light highlights the weeds and grass outside.

Behind him, the lights dim and Minseok is disconnected.

He looks out into a world he has never seen before. A new world outside this narrow window, a new world outside this protective suit he used to shield and hide himself in. A night breeze moves the weeds, like gentle waves of water under a starry sky.

And for a moment, Minseok can hear the crash of ocean waves around him, the cold of the harsh and wet sand under his feet, the salt of the air heavy on his tongue.

Outside is a brand new world filled with change, life, and growth.

All he had to do was open the door and step outside.

*

Jongdae wants to go out to plant the pods with Minseok.

‘I don’t think you should,’ Minseok states firmly, making sure to be secure his bio-suit. ‘You literally dropped your whole breakfast tray this morning because you blacked out.’

Jongdae makes a grumbling sound, pulling a comically offended facial expression. Breakfast had been chaotic: Jongdae had reached over to pick up their breakfast tray after Minseok finished plating up their baked potato onto smooth earthenware. Minseok’s not sure how he did it, but Jongdae had confused his perspective and miscalculated his depth of field with his immediate surroundings, practically grabbing the tray and shoving it at the same time before tripping on nothing and sitting heavily on the floor.

‘And why are you wearing a suit? You know it’s safe out there,’ Jongdae nods towards the doors.

‘Force of habit and I am not-‘ Minseok grumbles a bit, ‘I’m just still processing okay?’

Jongdae’s expression softens a little before he nods. But Minseok also feels bad for him. He comes up with a compromise.

‘You just stay here, keep an eye out for me, I dunno you can like, stay by the doorway or something. But you’re not allowed to get out of that chair, you hear me?’ Minseok points one gloved finger at the other man.

Jongdae sits up straight in his chair, arms and hands up as though in surrender, bright smile on his face. Chen follows his actions soon after.

‘Chen, make sure he stays put,’ Minseok orders the android. ‘Or I will kick your ass. Both of yours.’

Jongdae pretends to be sad, his eyes twinkling as he waves forlornly.

Minseok makes it so that the outer doorway leading to the disinfecting chamber remained open after the inner doorway closed. There was, after all, no need to disinfect himself _before _stepping out outside. So Jongdae could still remain inside the safety of the Bunker, but be able to be outside at the same time.

‘You will allow yourself to be thoroughly disinfected,’ Minseok threatens Jongdae sternly.

Jongdae only grins excitedly, pushing his glasses up his nose as Chen pushes him inside the chamber.

Minseok carefully balances the stacked carrier in his hand, filled with opened and prepared pods for planting.

The doors open and he hears Jongdae inhale and exhale deeply. Looking back, Jongdae’s eyes are closed, the late morning light instantly illuminating him.

Jongdae suited being out here, with the light of the sun surrounding him. Minseok takes a few steps outside, waiting for Chen to push Jongdae right up to the doorway and no more. Minseok nods at the android in approval.

‘No more than this,’ Minseok reminds them both. ‘Got it?’

Jongdae opens his eyes, stretching a little as though to get as much of the sunlight on himself.

‘Got it,’ he smiles.

Minseok has about 6 more hours of daylight to finish planting all 20 locations across the compound. He tries his best to be as composed as possible, but Jongdae’s excitement was contagious and though Minseok is afraid of what their success could mean, there is an unspoken promise that lingers.

A promise between Minseok and the rest of the world- the rest of _life _as Minseok knows it. A life that Minseok has lived, and one that he would have to live.

And while there is a definite thrill to this discovery, Minseok is _terrified_.

He was now discovering the world anew; even if that process of discovery was him shielding himself in every way he could.

He gets to the first marker and shakes himself out of his stupor. Taking out the small collapsible shovel he brought with him, Minseok digs out the soft soil near the marker, making sure the hole is deep and wide enough.

_‘The first marker!’ _Jongdae’s voice crackles into his ear. ‘_Which one will you put down first?’_

‘Uh-‘ Minseok looks down at the stacked carrier. ‘I guess we could start off with holly.’

‘_One of the Bunkers I visited, I think about 2 years ago, had a massive outburst of holly trees.’_

‘Outburst?’ Minseok laughs, retrieving the little pod of the holly plant. It’s just a small shrub at this point, with no indication of it possibly growing into a tree. According to the additional research Jongdae had pulled up, holly trees did not require a lot of care, and could take to most soil easily. That was of course, in the past, but they’re hopeful that the plants they selected and prepared would be able to survive long enough to either evolve, or adapt to this new environment.

‘_It really was,’ _Minseok looks around to find Jongdae and Chen some distance away. If Jongdae were to yell, Minseok would be able to hear him. ‘_They were overgrown, so the trees broke through- like, you could _see _where exactly years of force pushed through the containment. It was fascinating, and somehow, inspiring at the same time.’_

Minseok smiles at that, lifting the pod out and removing the outer-shell. His heart is pounding in his chest. The roots are neatly curled, soil clumping on the sides in a compact half-globe. Minseok loosens the roots a little before patting down the hole on the ground a little before placing the holly shrub into it.

‘_What I didn’t expect with the holly trees were the vultures.’_

Minseok laughs but also adds sympathetically, ‘Vultures? How did that work out?’

‘_Terribly of course,’ _Jongdae snorts, ‘_I ran out so fast.’_

He laughs at Jongdae’s tone.

‘_I don’t know why they thought vultures would make a good species to preserve indoors like that- it didn’t make sense, if I’m being honest. What a complete and absolute nightmare.’_

Minseok laughs, pausing to take a breath as he patted down the shrub into the ground. His hands are shaking a little, he realizes.

‘_And then I managed to hide for a while before I guess they lost interest in me? I kinda shuffled out, ducking down the entire time, god my knees hurt for so long after that day.’_

Minseok is on his knees before this small shrub.

‘_Hey,’ _Jongdae says softly.

‘Yeah I uh-‘ Minseok can’t pinpoint why he’s overwhelmed like this. He’s planted shrubs, repotted growing trees; he’s done this so many times before but suddenly it’s almost as though he’s doing this the first time.

Shakily, he manages to stand, looking down at this small shrub.

It blends in so well with the whole environment. Like it was meant to be there. And somehow Minseok just _knows _it will grow well. This was where it belonged after all. Outside, with the free air, soil firm and rich beneath its roots, the sun nurturing it.

‘_I bet that’ll look amazing once it grows.’_

Minseok looks over to Jongdae. The sun’s angle has changed some more, fully bathing Jongdae in light alongside Chen.

They belonged here too. Outside, with the free air, soil firm and rich beneath the roots of their being, the sun nurturing them.

And Minseok understands why he’s been feeling so odd. So disconnected.

Minseok was still living in_ that_ world. The one that left, finding a new place among the stars.

_This_ was a new dawn for life- a regrowth, shedding that past to allow the birth of something new, something _free_.

And he did not belong.

*

It’s the second week since the day they planted the pods all over the compound. And out of the 20 Minseok planted, 14 survived and were taking very well to their new environment.

Jongdae seemed to be growing in strength alongside the plants they were now monitoring. He hadn’t tripped or dropped things in over a week, and he hadn’t needed the chair in almost 10 days now.

But somehow, Minseok is still wary of letting Jongdae outside. He tells himself he’s worried about his bad leg, that the research he did on head trauma had frightened him, but Minseok knows it’s not quite that.

‘Oh come on,’ Jongdae laughs, ‘I haven’t used the chair in over a week, and my dizziness is only in the mornings- not for long either.’

Minseok purses his lips, looking at Jongdae long and hard. He was definitely healthier, stronger; but Minseok doesn’t want to take any risks.

‘We will start up a regime for you,’ he declares. ‘We need to get your stronger- work around your old injuries, strengthen muscle and regain endurance.’

Jongdae nods in agreement.

Minseok makes sure to keep his exercise light. And the first few days are difficult for Jongdae, mainly due to not moving his muscles in this manner for a while. But he was adamant and Minseok was not about to keep Jongdae prisoner inside the Bunker so he encourages him. Even though Minseok is still

At first it’s light stretching.

Minseok has him do it in the mornings at first. Then they switch to the evenings. And then twice a day. Minseok also spaces out break days, telling Jongdae his muscles, as well as determination, needed rest. Minseok has Jongdae do light exercises alongside the stretches after the 10th day. Jongdae is wheezing, clutching at his side as Minseok makes him start knee-push ups.

He doesn’t get dizzy, but his leg injury does get worked up.

Minseok changes the style of exercise, switching back to stretching and something he found during his research.

‘Yoga?’

Minseok nods.

‘What’s that?’

‘It’s a combination of meditation and stretching, designed to be beneficial both mentally and physically,’ Minseok explains as he points to the side of the mat in the gymnasium. Jongdae stands at the spot. ‘It also helps in building strength.’

Jongdae can’t help but laugh at his own stiffness, which makes Minseok in turn laugh.

‘Wait wait-‘ Jongdae gasps, in a heap on the floor. ‘This um, _surya namaskar _is going to help me _how_?!’

Minseok squats down, grinning at Jongdae’s imbalanced and inflexible form. His cheeks are flushed, hair a little damp and curling, eyes sparkling with amusement.

‘It’s supposed to help regulate blood flow, strengthen your core, help with sleep, anxiety- improve your balance,’ Minseok sits down, crossing his legs in the process, ‘I mean, it eventually will.’

Jongdae groans before he flails comically.

‘I mean- that’d make you pretty flexible I guess,’ Minseok gestures to his thrashing form with a laugh.

‘Don’t mock my methods,’ Jongdae groans, ‘I’m gonna be a walking muscle sore after today.’

‘You need to rebuild your strength,’ Minseok reminds him, ‘Not to mention your leg- we have to build up your endurance.’

‘Ugh,’ Jongdae wipes down at his face, ‘Yeah- yeah, I can’t limp around too much all the time.’

‘You should wear the support,’ Minseok tells him again.

‘I- I don’t want to depend on it too much,’ Jongdae tells him a little hesitantly, glancing up at him from the floor, ‘It’s just- yeah, I don’t want to really depend too much on it.’

They don’t talk about it.

The fact is that Minseok knows that Jongdae won’t stay here in this Bunker much longer. Not when this Bunker still existed in a world that Jongdae was actively trying to change. But Jongdae either respected Minseok enough to understand how strange and difficult this whole thing was for him to process, or he pitied Minseok for clinging to the idea of a world built nearly entirely on lies.

Minseok can see it for himself. How life was flourishing outside. Sees the way the weeds and grass make way for sturdier looking shrubs and bushes. He sees the way the hills turn green, sees moss and strange beautiful vines growing up along the Bunker walls outside. Sees it in the way the 14 remaining plants were thriving.

And yet, knowing this, and thinking over what Jongdae had said about the possibility of such an unspeakable lie that not only altered the course of life on Earth, but completely changed how they as humans _lived_.

And he knows what Jongdae is not saying.

If he were to depend on a knee-support, and if it were to be damaged, he wouldn’t be able to find a replacement. Not out there.

A week later, Jongdae is able to maintain a good walking speed on the treadmill, breathless but of course that was normal. He had definitely regained his strength, picking up quickly where he left off, all those years of fending for himself. His flexibility has improved for the better though he complains about it at every turn, curses groaning at every stretch he mimics from Minseok.

His appetite improves, and so does his overall health. He solemnly gives daily reports that his sleep has improved as well, much to Minseok’s amusement, as though genuinely meeting with a medic or doctor.

His dizziness was something that caused worry but it was lessening everyday, and so was Jongdae’s balance. Minseok suspects he may have had some injury in or around his ears.

And a few days ago, Jongdae had taken a walk around the compound, looking delighted, in a world of sunlight and warmth. Minseok is there of course to monitor, watching his movements closely.

Jongdae is grinning widely, exaggerated inhales and exhales.

‘Wow, look at all of this air!’ he declares.

Minseok gives him his best unimpressed look.

‘Eh, worth a shot,’ Jongdae shrugs.

But Minseok knows he’s just teasing so he waves him off.

‘Enough breathing, let’s check on our shrubs.’

Jongdae lets out a whoop and practically skips ahead. Minseok doesn’t have the heart to tell him to ease it up. They check up on all of the thriving plants, taking small samples to monitor their cellular development, chemical changes and reactions, and just over all, their health.

One of the plants begins to bloom pale green leaf-like buds.

‘It’s a flower,’ Jongdae sniffs around the plant as he crouches close. Minseok had made sure that no weeds grew around the tiny plots of land, placing flat stones around to discourage the fast growing weeds around them. ‘It has to be.’

Minseok crouches down as well, reaching over with a gloved hand to touch the plant as well.

‘You’ve got a green thumb,’ Jongdae grins at him, beads of perspiration clinging to his skin on his brows. ‘Soon, you could have a whole garden out here if you wanted.’

Minseok is seized with the idea of a wild garden, rich with hues of greens, yellows, highlighted by colourful splashes of reds, pinks, orange, and white. He looks back to the Bunker, imagines that the outer-ring garden domes were no longer there, the trees expanding upwards towards freedom, their canopy increasing in size, their roots stretching out. Minseok imagines the apple trees replanted outside, the scent of their flowers and fruits mingling with the warmth of the air.

This world would continue to grow around him, before him, and long after him.

‘Minseok.’

Jongdae’s tone isn’t frightened or nervous- rather it’s calm but it’s also a warning. Minseok looks up, following Jongdae’s line of sight to his left, out past the compound walls.

Minseok immediately freezes.

‘I think…I think those are some sort of _bear_,’ Jongdae says in a hushed manner.

The animals are quite large- though one is distinctly bigger than the other 3. Minseok can’t quite tell if what was covering their bodies fur or some form of thick mossy vegetation. Maybe it was both, because from here, the colour on the creatures is a combination of grey-green. They had been observing an increase in animals- but normally they were solitary and small. Though they had once seen what could have only been a massive moose of sorts, great antlers on its head. It had not been a Survivor, and had been dangerously close to their fencing.

Both of them worried, they deactivated the

‘Mother and cubs?’ Jongdae ruminates, not sounding afraid but not moving either. There is a safe distance between them but neither of them risk making any moves to potentially alarm the careful animals.

‘I think they might have caught our scent?’ Minseok guesses.

‘Probably just me,’ Jongdae laughs.

The breeze wasn’t strong, but it was blowing past them, up towards the sloping low hills all around them.

‘I don’t think they’ll come here.’ Jongdae sounds sure. ‘There’s a river to the west, I think it’s where they’re headed.’

‘A river?’

Jongdae nods, looking away from the animals.

‘It’s quite large too,’ he explains, ‘But shallow, I think it’s water draining from the higher lands down to the ocean.’

Minseok nods, remembering that there was indeed a river somewhere in the expanse of the map, leading in through the mountains way up north and east, and all the way down to the mountains.

‘Have you met other bears out there?’

‘Out here you mean,’ Jongdae grins, still keeping an eye on the bears as they slowly disappear into the hills. ‘Yeah, I have. They’re more wary than the other animals I think- I guess they’re careful of Survivors. We might see more of them from now on. There’s a sort of wild grassland to that side north. Kinda risky, if I’m being honest.’

He makes a funny face and Minseok laughs.

Minseok sits outside with Jongdae until after the sunsets.

Everything goes well, and Jongdae does not complain of any discomfort or pain, so Minseok is happy that he was truly beginning to get better.

‘We should try growing legitimate crops outside,’ Jongdae proposes that night as Minseok returns with a bowl filled with hydroponic spinach leaves.

Minseok laughs and says meaningfully, ‘I’ll be honest I much prefer this style over having to make sure no aphids or other critters eat up the crops; not to mention washing off the dirt – who knows what’s out there in the soil.’

The aphids they had observed and studied had greatly multiplied and spread onto some of their pods, turning budding leaves yellow. Minseok and Jongdae were quick to develop a repellant by simply combining salt and water. Jongdae had worried the solution would be harmful to the plant, but Minseok knew from reading old collections and books that it would work.

Jongdae groans, ‘Ah, you’re right- but what if _I _tend to it?’

Something hopeful stirs up inside Minseok. If Jongdae wanted to tend a garden for himself, that meant he intended to stay for a while.

‘Then it’ll be like, my responsibility!’ Jongdae continues. ‘I think this way I’ll learn more about foraging, how to plan ahead for what to do in terms of vegetation. How to cultivate and tend to plants.’

Minseok relents easily enough and they set about to plot out Jongdae’s vegetable plot. They also delve into composting. Minseok unearths the composting machines they had, and collecting masses of weed, grass, and waste from the kitchen and inner-ring gardens, they are able to procure a good amount of natural fertilizer and compost.

They choose an area not too far from the Bunker, a patch of area they can see from the kitchen in fact. Minseok watches from inside the kitchen as Jongdae and Chen clear up the designated area of weeds and grass. He helps Jongdae layer the freshly dug up soil with the compost they had been collecting in the bins as Chen methodically creates a fencing area around the plot of land with twigs and branches from the outer-ring gardens. During the evenings as they either relax in the Lobby or at the Observatory, Jongdae is normally reading something on gardening, composting, and overall plant husbandry. He even installs a gardening program in Chen.

‘My Bunker didn’t quite prioritize farming or extensive green-housing,’ Jongdae explains to him, ‘We just ran the bare minimum.’

‘What did you do for nutrition?’ Minseok inquires, pouring them out some tea as they watch the ocean one night. It’s a full moon and Minseok has only just started getting used to clear night skies.

‘Mostly medication,’ Jongdae explains before giving him a wry smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, ‘My Bunker strongly believed in medication – and honestly, with most of us, I think it was important.’

Jongdae has a faraway look in his eyes, his jaw tense. Minseok doesn’t push for more answers and instead hands him his cup of tea.

‘Well, over here I guess we’re gonna have to work on our vitamins the old fashioned way.’

Jongdae throws his head back as he laughs.

He makes sure to check up on Jongdae’s overall health every other day, something that Jongdae himself found slightly amusing but Minseok is worried and he won’t allow Jongdae’s charming smiles to deter him. But seeing as how Jongdae never argues with him on the matter, Minseok knows that Jongdae understands that it’s important to keep monitoring him.

On some days, Jongdae’s leg acts up and he needs to take a break from gardening. Otherwise most days he’s outside, walking past small sprouts, randomly picking at the soil to throw away a stray pebble or dried twig.

It suddenly rains one day. Actual natural rain, and Jongdae is yelling at Minseok to hurry as they both run, nearly slipping in their haste, to throw a tarp over his garden. Minseok pulls on his bio-suit with incredible speed considering how much he was laughing at Jongdae’s hysterical shrieks. When they’re outside, halfway to the garden, they both realize they’ve forgotten the tarp. Jongdae runs back in and back out again with said tarp.

They’re able to save the garden from getting too water-logged, but Jongdae is absolutely soaked through, looking down at his soaked shoes in despair, wailing at Minseok over the sound of the rain, ‘I hate wet shoes!’.

Minseok sends Jongdae inside to dry up, and with the help of Chen, they secure the tarp at an angle to allow the rain to slide off. When he goes back in, Jongdae is there to help him with his bio-suit and a cup of hot tea.

Despite Jongdae’s fears, his garden is thriving after the rain, even more sprouts pushing through, young leaves shooting up.

When Jongdae waves at him from across the windows in the kitchen, splattered with mud, bright beaming smile on his face, Minseok feels a strange sense of contentment that’s quickly followed by a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach: a realization that this new world he discovered could be his to explore, only if he was willing to leave _this _world behind.

*

‘I’ll be fine!’ Jongdae insists, ‘It’s just the weather. Besides, the holly tree has reached up to my thighs!’

‘You’ve been limping worse than before since yesterday,’ Minseok frowns, looking up from another WinWipe that had needed repairing. He wishes they could send Chen out to check on their little crop and planted pods, but Chen had some issues with the updates in his programming, causing him to enthusiastically dig nearly 15 meters down into the compound. Jongdae and Minseok had spent an exhausting day pulling the heavy android out of the ditch it dug up for itself. Chen was now in “recovery” as Jongdae called it, chiding the android as if it could understand Jongdae’s words. So now Chen was hooked up to the down-port in the Android Capsule for repairs and reprogramming.

‘Yes, but I think stretching around outside will help,’ Jongdae explains. And it’s true, Minseok has seen and watched Jongdae simply walk his cramps and pain away while he walked around outside for the past 3 months.

‘I think it needs a trellis,’ Jongdae shows him the light-weight but sturdy pipes he procured from the mechanical store downstairs. ‘Besides, I think the bougainvillea need some help too.’

Minseok has a soft spot for the bougainvillea. It was the first flowering plant they grew outside in the compound, the rich magenta hues of the simple flowers genuinely made him shed some tears, to Jongdae’s absolute discomfort.

‘Fine,’ Minseok acquiesces. ‘Try and stay within the radio-channel limit please. And take a coat! It looks like it’s going to rain!’

Jongdae just winks at him, raising the pipes in salute before sauntering off. Minseok rolls his eyes, going back to his WinWipe. It’s nearly time for lunch when Jongdae radios him.

‘_Minseok!’_

‘What?’ Minseok replies at once, a little thrown by Jongdae’s tone.

‘_Oh my god, Minseok- you need to look out.’_

Minseok is in the Lobby so he quickly makes his way to the wide windows.

‘What am I looking at exactly?’ Minseok demands, his pulse spiking almost at once.

But he doesn’t need an answer. Instantly, a quiet but clear alarm pulses from his C-Scan.

Close to the tall fencing near Gate 17L, a huge herd of animals are slowly making their way across.

‘_Minseok- I- I think, could you switch off the electricity? There’s- I’m afraid they’ll hurt themselves.’_ Jongdae tells him quietly. ‘_I think they’re attracted to the plants inside here.’_

‘Fuck-‘ Minseok curses, ‘Jongdae I don’t think-‘

There’s a bright spark as one of the creatures from the herd, smaller than the other ones, clearly a calf of sorts, pushes up to the fence. Chaos breaks out and the herd go berserk. Minseok can’t hear them, but he’s picking up high-pitched squeals from Jongdae’s radio transmission.

‘_Minseok!’_

The herd, terrified, push against the fence as well, and the terrible sounds are unnaturally terrifying. Minseok hurries, quickly accessing the security system. His alarms on the C-Scan are going off nonstop, alerting him of motion-triggers being set off in the vicinity. After some long seconds, the calf stops jolting, and the herd stop stampeding about.

‘_Security protocol Alpha 1 temporarily drawn back. How to proceed?’_

Minseok’s about to respond when the radio signal crackles out and Minseok catches sight of Jongdae limping towards the fence area.

‘Jongdae what are you doing-?!’ Minseok demands as Jongdae approaches the herd warily. He’s not close, but it’s still too close for Minseok’s taste. Taking his C-Scan with him, Minseok hurries downwards.

‘Security, hold Alpha 1 until I authorize it again,’ Minseok orders as he gets to a doorway.

‘_Minseok! I think some of them are injured,’ _Jongdae’s voice crackles over the line.

‘Fuck!’ Minseok reaches for the wall before him, ‘Fuck, Jongdae, don’t get too close- can you please stay in range?’

‘_Sorry! I had to take a closer look,’ _Jongdae explains, ‘_I’m not getting too close, they’re very agitated. But it seems like a few of them have some pretty heavy scars.’_

Minseok hurries towards the kitchen again, eyes locked towards the windows, his C-Scan incessantly beeping in his hands. Jongdae is a slight figure in the distance. Far back towards the fence, Minseok can see the large herd ambling about, still panicked, and agitated.

‘_Why would they come up so close to the fence? I thought they were designed to put off most living creatures- at least the sound should be putting them off.’ _Jongdae thinks out loud.

‘Can you come back in?’ Minseok asks instead, flinching just a little as thunder rumbles overhead, the beeping of his C-Scan sounding uncannily like some ominous countdown. ‘It’s going to start raining, we need to think of how to drive the herd away from the fences and compound.’

‘_Fuck- yeah, let me go get my stuff,’ _Jongdae replies.

Minseok could always angle some of their defense system blasters up in the air to spook the herd and basically shoo them away from the compound. His C-Scan continues to ring in his hand, adding extra noise to the stress building in Minseok’s mind. He quickly reaches over the extended screen to mute the sound when he catches something strange.

All of the alarms were signaling to him from Gate 17L. But Minseok hadn’t seen the alarm beeping at him from Gate 23S.

‘23S-‘ Minseok repeats, thunder rumbling hard overhead. There’s a flash of lightning and it shocks Minseok into motion.

‘Jongdae!’ he calls in panic.

There’s no answer.

‘Access cameras to Compound Gate 23S!’ Minseok orders, running along the length of the kitchen window, looking out to catch sight of Jongdae but it’s starting to rain and Minseok can’t find the other man.

His C-Scan loads and to his horror, a group of Survivors were speedily climbing through the fencing and-

‘No-‘

Minseok is sprinting out at once. He doesn’t have time to get to the control-unit rooms- and he’s not sure if he can aim correctly not when Jongdae was out there. He’s slamming into the panels of the wall outside the gateways in his hurry, panic building in him like waves, overwhelming him.

‘Jongdae!’ he tries again.

He tries to open the channels but Jongdae is too far for the radio-frequency to reach him even if he were to wear them. The bougainvillea pods were too far out into the compound, it’s how he was even able to see Gate 17L in the first place and-

Minseok yanks open the security and defense shelving units on the walls and unlocks a hand-held launcher haphazardly.

‘Authorize gates, keep them open!’ Minseok practically yells as he repeatedly slams his hand over the locking panel by the gateway. Minseok squeezes through the gap before it opens fully and launches himself out of the barely opening gates and into the compound.

Rain hits him almost at once, the wind whipping around him and it’s too loud too _much of everything-_

‘JONGDAE!’

Jongdae is too far, not in any protective gear, out of radio frequency reach, his tools and kits too far for him and Minseok is-

‘JONGDAE!’ Minseok screams again he runs as hard as he can, but the wind is against him, his voice can’t carry that far. The Survivors had caught Jongdae’s scent- clearly. They must have been after the herd- their injuries, their agitation, the way they risked approaching the compound.

It made sense now.

He can see Jongdae’s form now, still tending to something around the bougainvillea bush, unaware of what was approaching him from behind him, because he was still warily keeping an eye on the herd to his front.

‘JONGDAE!’

And maybe something alerted him- because he’s suddenly lifting his head and pausing as though to listen for a second before turning around and-

The Survivors- Minseok can see them almost as clearly as Jongdae- the rain seemed to be following after them, a thick blanket of it casting a grey and ominous backdrop to the horrifyingly fast and unnatural movements of the Survivors.

Jongdae instantly drops everything, scrambling and trying to move quickly, glancing towards the Bunker as he does so- catching sight of Minseok and-

Minseok runs hard. His grip on the hand-held launcher tightening. Visibility was terrible and at this distance, with all of this panic, Minseok knows he can’t risk shooting; he could hit Jongdae. He needed to get closer too.

His heart drops when Jongdae falls, and Minseok moves as though he was anticipating it as he slides to stop, mud splattering around him in the overgrown stretch of weeds and grass and aims the launcher and fires.

He doesn’t immediately hit them- but it’s enough to deter them, giving Jongdae time to pick himself up. Minseok walks forward, still aiming as he continuously fires.

‘Minseok!’ he hears Jongdae yell.

He continues firing- the sound of his launcher echoing alongside thunder. To his horror, Minseok doesn’t see any significant change in the number of Survivors tearing after behind Jongdae.

‘Security ready Alpha 2 security protocol on my command!’ Minseok gasps out straight into his C-Scan, running forward again. ‘JONGDAE! FASTER!’

The other man is limping forward hard, face pale with panic and fear. Minseok’s skin crawls with more than fear and the sudden cold of the rain as he starts picking up on the sounds of the Survivors.

There’s _more_.

But Jongdae is closer and Minseok slides to a stop again, raising his launcher and firing this time at random.

‘Security now!’ Minseok yells.

Through the mist of the rain, bright lights arch and illuminate hideous forms behind Jongdae who is just right there-

‘Minseok!’

Dropping the C-Scan, Minseok holds his hand out and nearly colliding into each other, they _run_.

He can’t tell where they are- he was running on pure instinct- fear fueling him, the only thing he was aware of is Jongdae’s hand in his.

He’s terrified that this is a nightmare- that he’s running and running but he wasn’t going anywhere. His muscles are cramping and he knows he’s losing speed- that they’re losing speed. His lungs are tightening, throat constricting, his vision blurring towards the edges-

He was going to lose Jongdae- his hand would be gripping at thin air at any moment now like in nightmares-

‘-Minseok!’

Jongdae tugs at his arm, jolting him out of this nightmare and suddenly, Minseok is passing through the gates and inside the Bunker-

The gates close behind them, the rain shut out behind them, the lights of the blasters abruptly shut out- and they stumble down to the floor in a heap.

‘Jongdae-!’ Minseok stammers, barely grasping control over his own body, shaking violently to reach for the other man.

‘-here!’ Jongdae coughs out, breathing harsh and fast, ‘Minseok- here!’

His vision swimming Minseok rolls over, colliding hard and unsteadily against Jongdae.

‘You- you came out.’

‘What-?’ Minseok is breathless, vision swimming around him, one arm trapped under Jongdae who is also in a similar heap next to him.

‘You’re- you’re not wearing a bio-suit-!’

The shower of disinfectants washes over them in a shock of cold. Spluttering, both Minseok and Jongdae roll over, eyes squinting and gasping for air at this sudden onslaught of liquid that abruptly halts only to be replaced by strong jets of air.

When it stops is only when Jongdae can hear that Minseok was in the midst of a panic attack.

Sitting up with difficulty, his limbs still burning and aching terribly, Jongdae quickly makes Minseok sit up as well, making him lean up against himself. Holding him firmly but gently, Jongdae places a hand over Minseok’s chest, and the other over his back.

‘Hey- shhh,’ Jongdae says as gently as he can despite a raw throat, blinking out water from his eyes. ‘Hey you’re okay we’re okay.’

Minseok’s breaths are stuttered gasps.

‘Listen to me breathe- follow me,’ Jongdae rubs Minseok’s back in the same rhythm as his purposeful breaths. Minseok’s hyperventilating hard, his body shaking hard and Jongdae readjusts his hold around him so that he could hold him steady from the back. Splaying both of his hands over Minseok’s heaving chest, he purposefully exhales and inhales hard, motioning with his whole body for Minseok to imitate.

‘Listen to me breathe,’ Jongdae tells him, ‘Follow my breaths-‘

Minseok shakes hard, but he’s trying his best to match up with Jongdae’s deliberate pace.

‘Shh-‘ Jongdae hums out gently, closing his eyes to abate his own dizziness. ‘You’re doing okay- just breathe in and out- slow and deep.’

The doors open, the air around them moving gently. But Jongdae doesn’t move them out of the chamber, doesn’t move away from this strained position on the floor until Minseok’s breathing quiets, and his body loosens up from his tensed curled up form.

Carefully, Jongdae lets go of Minseok, and the latter drops slowly, his breathing purposefully slow and long as he straightens out on the floor.

‘We-‘ Minseok whispers, ‘We need to – we need to get the- security-‘

‘Yeah,’ Jongdae nods, crawling onto all fours before kneeling up, careful not to further trigger his dizziness. His leg feels like it’s on fire, pain throbbing heavily down his thigh and up his hip, even to his back.

‘Give me a second,’ Minseok’s eyes are closed, his hands trembling slightly, voice barely audible.

‘I’ll- I’ll do it-‘ Jongdae tries to stand but it’s proving incredibly hard.

With strength that bordered on desperation and hysteria, Minseok manages to sit up and stand. His clothes are still dripping wet, the air-jets inside the chamber designed to blast off any liquids off of bio-suits which were impervious to any form of liquid retention.

There’s a pained stiffness to Minseok’s movements and a shaking quality Jongdae associates with fear, and it pushes him to crawl up to the wall and balance himself as he stands.

‘Security-‘ Minseok’s voice is barely above a whisper. ‘Initiate protocol Alpha 1. Scan for Survivors and the Strain in Compound and inside the Bunker.’

‘_Initiated and scanning.’_

Jongdae limps painfully to the doorway, nearly slipping on the floors: he realizes he must have lost a shoe outside because one foot is bare and splattered with mud and bits of grass. He’s bleeding too, he notices absentmindedly, from somewhere on his knees. Probably from when he had fallen. He’s also lost his glasses, he realizes belatedly.

‘_No Survivors detected in Compound. Scanning.’_

Jongdae finds Minseok standing unnaturally straight before the mounted screen in the alcove that housed controls for the disinfecting chamber as well as some defense weapons. He notes how the paneling over them have been slammed open, a few of the other launchers similar to what Minseok had been using and was clogged with disinfectant in the chamber behind him, around the floor.

‘_Scanning.’_

Minseok is shivering too, Jongdae notes as he gets closer. 

‘_Systems detect no atmospheric increase in Strain particles.’_

Turning around and then sliding down the wall, Minseok holds his head between shaking hands, strange choked up sounds coming out of him. Jongdae slides down next to him as well.

‘Are you okay?’ Minseok asks him shakily.

‘Yeah- yeah I am-‘ Jongdae replies breathlessly.

‘Am- am _I _okay?’

Jongdae reaches around Minseok, gently pulling him closer. Minseok shudders against him, an exhausted sob escaping him as he slumps into Jongdae.

Jongdae holds his head still, leaning his head against Minseok’s as he quietly murmurs, ‘Minseok. You’re okay, you’re _okay_.’

Minseok doesn’t move away from his position against Jongdae but he’s still shaking.

‘-you’re okay. I’m okay- you saved me. Saved us.’

Jongdae finds one of Minseok’s hands and holds it tight.

‘You saved us, Minseok. You saved us.’

*

The herd had run off when they had sensed the approaching Survivors. They were evidently on the run from the group, and had stumbled in their fear, towards the Compound security borders.

Wet and damp remains of the Survivors still littered the ravaged grounds of the Compound. Minseok’s bougainvillea is scattered, faint bits of petals peeking through the increasing muddy soil like blood seeping through the crust.

Minseok feels a strange coldness over his skin.

Which is odd because all he remembers is the searing heat of the rain on his skin as he had run out into the Compound, unprotected and completely exposed.

He had spent over an hour in the shower, trembling as he disinfected himself till his skin was raw and parts of his skin was cracked and bleeding a little. He tests himself for the Strain countless times. But each time, the results are negative.

He had exposed himself outside, during a chaotic act of nature, becoming a part of a strange evolutionary reconciliation of the circle of life, and Minseok had escaped- had _survived_.

‘Minseok?’

He nearly drops the scanner in his hands as he turns around to find Jongdae. He was on his chair, also freshly showered by the looks of it; he looks exhausted too.

‘Hey- hey I-…’ Minseok begins.

Jongdae rolls forward slowly, getting closer to look at him.

‘I’m sorry,’ he tells him quietly.

‘What for?’ Minseok asks back, faintly incredulous.

‘I-…I should have been more careful. More aware,’ Jongdae explains, ‘Once you had the security down, around the fence, I should have been more wary, I- I endangered not just myself, but you, and this Bunker.’

Minseok shakes his head immediately.

‘We could have never predicted what would have happened,’ Minseok tells him, ‘We would not have known-‘

‘-I asked you to turn off the security protocol,’ Jongdae intervenes, slumping a little on his chair. ‘If I hadn’t-‘

‘-but you did,’ Minseok tells him simply, ‘You did, and I agreed with you. Jongdae, this is not your singular doing.’

Jongdae still doesn’t look up.

‘Had I been in your position, the same thing would have happened,’ Minseok tells him frankly.

Jongdae slowly takes his hands, carefully and gently.

‘How, um, how are you?’ he asks quietly, gingerly feeling around the edges of the irritated and inflamed skin on his hands.

‘Not infected,’ Minseok replies, ‘Much to my continued shock I guess.’

Jongdae rolls away to his toilette stand and finds a cream. He helps Minseok apply it over on the now drying and flaking skin.

‘I know, that it’s not…there’s no more danger from the Strain,’ Minseok explains. ‘I can see that. I see it in you- in the plants. Even the herd; I can see it everyday.’

Jongdae fiddles unconsciously with the tub of cream, screwing and unscrewing the lid of the jar.

‘I think it’s because…it’s because this is how I have lived all my life. And I’m not just talking about…about the isolation. I chose this-‘ Minseok says choppily as he goes to sit tiredly on the floor by his bed. ‘It kinda feels like…like if I accept it, I would be accepting that everything I chose to do would all be a lie.’

Minseok doesn’t realize that there are tears making their way out of his eyes, down the side of his face to his temples, until he feels Jongdae’s fingers sweeping them to the side.

‘Ah,’ Minseok is shocked by his own tears.

He wants to stop it- wants to stop crying; there’s no real reason why he wants to cry, can’t pinpoint one singular reason why. But now that it’s started, he can’t get himself to stop.

He presses his shirt sleeves to his face, taking deep breaths to regain some semblance of self control. He hears movement and then Jongdae is sitting next to him.

‘You’re hurt-‘ Minseok croaks out, ‘Stop moving.’

‘I can’t let you just- just cry by yourself,’ Jongdae argues through clenched teeth as he painfully repositions himself. He’s slightly breathless by the end of it, carefully straightening his leg out before him.

‘I’m trying not to cry,’ Minseok hiccups, ‘It’s dumb- just- I _know _I should come to terms but-‘

‘Minseok,’ Jongdae interrupts, reaching into his pocket to take out the same small towel Minseok had used on him to dab at his tears, ‘No, you don’t _have _to come to terms like this-‘

‘-but this is so _stupid!’ _Minseok gets out, ‘I’m just so-! So-‘

Suddenly he’s flooded with anger. A sudden desire to upend something or throw something seizes him almost violently.

‘-I’m so _angry_,’ Minseok gets out hopelessly, ‘But at the same time I wish I could just- just ignore _everything_\- but I can’t and I’m- _everything is wrong.’_

Minseok leans back, grasps at his head tilting backwards almost painfully onto his mattress.

He vaguely registers an arm wrap around him, Jongdae’s presence solid against him. Minseok thinks back to what Jongdae had told him, about how he had come to learn of the truth.

‘It’s okay to be angry,’ Jongdae tells him quietly, ‘I mean, fuck, I know I was angry- still am, actually. It’s hard not to be.’

Minseok looks around at him at his words.

Jongdae’s expression is honest and open.

‘Taking down the PuriZones was like an act of revenge I guess- more than wanting to stop the systemic spread of the Strain,’ Jongdae explains. ‘I guess it did help, with everything, but it also felt…kinda pointless for a while.’

Minseok thinks back to the PuriZones he deactivated with Jongdae and an incredibly euphoric and _vindictive _surge of satisfaction hits him.

‘But it’s-…it’s good,’ Minseok says slowly, ‘You were…you were, you _are _doing so much. Didn’t you say that? That so much of humanity’s goodness is inherent?’

‘I- I don’t think I should be considered a _good _human being,’ Jongdae grins wryly.

‘I think you are.’

Jongdae grins, leaning back to mimic Minseok’s pose, head leaning back on the mattress, ‘Minseok, I’m technically the only other human you know; I don’t have much of a competition here.’

Minseok’s not sure why but he’s laughing- it’s hysteric and painful, but there’s a strange catharsis as he laughs, tears still making their way down his face.

It takes a while for Minseok to stop, curling oddly onto his side, sliding down to the floors. He’s left hiccupping a little, his vision blurred, everything around him spinning.

‘It just all feels pointless now,’ he manages to whisper, voice cracking, throat constricted.

‘What does?’

Minseok waves a hand gesturing vaguely.

He hears Jongdae chuckle a little; and maybe it was funny to Jongdae. Jongdae who bravely stepped out into this world, exploring every bit of it, demanding truth from it even when it was difficult- even when it was dangerous. What could Minseok even say, could even compare, in light of what Jongdae has lived through?

‘How did you do it?’

‘Do what?’

‘Accept this?’

Jongdae is quiet for a while before he says quietly, ‘The desire to live.’

Minseok’s neck hurts from tilting his head to look around at Jongdae.

‘You said I would have had so much to offer, as a programmer…and I was. For a while.’

‘What do you mean?’

Jongdae slides down to the floor as well, his head coming down to rest close to his own.

‘Our Bunker was incredibly small- not the size of it,’ Jongdae tells him with a faint smile as he turns to address him close, as though telling him a secret story. ‘Our population was extremely limited.’

‘Smaller populations weren’t an issue with well, productivity within the Bunker, were they?’ Minseok asks carefully, thinking back to how higher levels of population were in fact deemed as being more difficult to operate. Minseok’s own Bunker was a medium-sized one, though by most standards would be considered quite large. But they never exceeded their maximum capacity.

‘No it’s not. But…more than just our region was barren,’ Jongdae tells him, ‘Infertility was high amongst the people in my Bunker. It kinda…it kinda went against everything you could say. Against wanting to regrow life, against wanting to create life. And that really affected the Bunker I guess- with how they perceived things.’ Jongdae gives a small shrug, ‘With how they perceived me.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I still don’t know why I was the way I was- _am _the way I am,’ Jongdae tells him, his tone carefully nonchalant. ‘I felt bad about it. Like I was…purposefully being difficult, or wrong.’

Minseok waits for Jongdae to continue.

‘I was healthy- still am,’ Jongdae tells him, ‘But I didn’t have any interest in sex- in any shape or form. I didn’t feel arousal, or horniness,’ he lets out a short laugh, ‘-and I guess, well, everyone saw me as a curse. Something inherently wrong.’

‘Jongdae,’ Minseok is speechless.

‘I mean, in light of everything, maybe I am?’ Jongdae shrugs dismissively, ‘But they saw me, basically, like a waste of space. A waste of _life_\- leaving me behind to keep “watch” over the Bunker was only the easiest thing they ever had to decide on.’

Minseok doesn’t know what to say.

‘And later, after they left, and I was- really, just left behind to die, I guess, as though being left in this decay was my fate. Undeserving of continuing life in Trappist – unworthy. I believed that for a long while actually,’ Jongdae confesses, his tone just barely above a whisper. ‘That I did deserve that.’

Minseok’s eyes are burning, Jongdae’s face blurring till he can’t see him. He closes his eyes and blindly reaches out for him. Maybe Jongdae’s hand was right there, or maybe he had been anticipating it; or maybe the same force that put the universe in motion, guiding their actions, meeting there over the cool floors, fingers entwining in an achingly familiar way.

‘But that day on the beach- I just…I just knew.’

‘Knew what?’

‘That I could live. That I _should _live.’ Jongdae breathes out.

Minseok opens his eyes to find Jongdae looking at him, his expression open and filled with something he can’t quite identify.

‘It was difficult,’ he continues, blinking slowly, his gaze unwavering, ‘I felt lost- everything I knew, everything that shaped the way I lived- all of it was…not just changed, but it just- it didn’t matter anymore.’

Minseok lets out a shuddering exhale.

‘What did you do?’

‘I decided to just _live_.’ Jongdae replies, ‘Live, like I was never able to. Like I was never allowed to- not just in the Bunker by the people there, but to live, with all of Earth before me- just _live_.’

Jongdae squeezes their hands, lifting them to his chest.

‘I wouldn’t be able to do that, if it weren’t for you.’

‘What?’ Minseok asks, a little dazed.

‘You’ve saved my life twice.’

‘Technically just once,’ Minseok whispers, ‘The other time was Chen.’

‘Yeah but he’s not the one who brought me out of fatal head injury,’ Jongdae smiles at him. ‘If he hadn’t brought me to you, I wouldn’t be able to continue to _live- _and I’m not just talking literally here.’

‘But-‘

‘Just let me thank you,’ Jongdae chides gently, turning to his side, their hands pressed over his chest.

‘Jongdae-‘ Minseok turns a little more, ‘-I don’t think-‘

Jongdae leans in, lips against his forehead as he quietly breathes out, ‘Please. Let me be thankful.’

*

Minseok takes a deep breath, staring out of the small window into the sparkling expanse of rain-soaked grass and weeds. The wind picks up, and the Compound moves and swells, as though it was breathing alongside Minseok too.

Hand clenched around the little cog and screw around his neck, Minseok slowly unlocks the door and-

The sound of the grass is the first thing he hears.

It’s not like he’s never heard it. It’s not like he’s never experienced this.

But it’s never been like _this._

He exhales out shakily, his pulse kicking up higher as the gates open completely, a cool gentle breeze swirling around him to greet him, to invite him. The concrete courtyard outside is flooded in clear still water, reflecting the cloudless skies above him, filled with the light of a time long past, of lifetimes lived and loved, filled with the promise that even in this darkness, _life _would endlessly move forward.

Quite simply, without ceremony or pause, Minseok takes his first step into a brand new world.

He finds himself reborn and _alive._

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So to explain my long not updating this  
Due to covid-19 as a whole, I wantd to be careful with how I approached this fic  
There were a lot of people who were taking a very radicalized eco-terrorist view of the pandemic and i  
Wanted to make sure that, even if fiction, how this story progresses, especially with the history behind the Strain and with Jongdae’s discovery, I wasn’t writing an angle that could be perceived as being sympathetic towards such extreme ideas. So I wanted to rethink a lot of this story, and how to guide it in a way that would both make sense, but also be sensitive to our general psyche I guess  
Maybe I was overthinking it, but I felt like it was something I should do anyways  
So I’m sorry for the very late update! It will be faster the next time around!!!  
And also I’d like to clearly state that, as someone who is asexual, my experience of of being an ace vastly differs from other aces! How Jongdae describes it may or may not reflect someone’s experience of being asexual. Everyone experiences it differently and it means differently for each person too! Some aces are sex-repulsed, some aren’t. some aces may enjoy sex time to time, some gain absolutely nothing from it.   
Acephobia is also very real. And the way some people view it as being inherently wrong is hurtful, especially as many people correlate sex with “normal human beings” or as part of a “healthy relationship” or with women especially “to experience childbirth”. Sex is a wonderful thing for those who enjoy it, but having sex in itself isn’t what makes you a “normal” human being, neither does it define a “healthy” relationship.  
I’ve always wanted to write an ace character, but I wasn’t sure how to in a sense I guess. Until like last year, I was watching the gameplays for Death Stranding, which is a visually stunning game with a rather profound message behind the whole story once you get past a lot of the Hideo Kojima oddness around it, and in the backstory of the game, aces are mentioned as (more or less this is just a roughly shortened version of the lore) the reason why birthrate was low, and why the human population declined. It made me realize that acephobia in some ways for some people, is a reflection of their fear of death. Kinda like how for some people, it was like, if you’re alive, it’s your duty to bring in other life into the world sort of belief – held especially over women tbh. But it made me wonder, being ace myself, and also having no desire to have any children (not because of the sex part, because you CAN have kids without sex), what would happen to me, if I were in a society that was dying, and continuing the human race was important to our survival.   
Obviously here, the outlook as told by Jongdae is quite dark. But I’d like to believe that it won’t be.  
And on that note:  
Right now my brain is just  
Left and right  
Left and right  
Left and right  
Rip it rip it  
Woooo-!


	6. 0110001001101100011011110110111101101101

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please listen to Olafur Arnolds “This Place is a Shelter”   
Album here [(Spotify)](https://open.spotify.com/album/69Q8uDA8C7EdKUo5oveufQ?si=5HQGKtd3RLqh3uMdFtlVAQ) and just the single song [(YouTube) ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMSDPLOSHyQ) here

There’s snow in the distant mountains.

Mountains that were once nearly impossible to see past the heavy rain and clouds.

The world is impossibly wide – unexplored, unknown, only imagined, discussed; the world that existed _now _before him had once been a dream of a past long gone, and with tenuous hope, of a future too far away.

And as Minseok exhales out, his breath white in the cold air, this strange and foreign _hope _buried deep _deep _in him, slowly pushes through, eyes open to the endless possibilities that lay within his grasp.

‘Minseok!’

Jongdae jogs towards him, holding in his palms small and fragile looking turnips. They’re still covered in dirt, hastily brushed off by eager fingers. Minseok reaches out for them immediately, a smile already on his lips.

‘It’s not much,’ Jongdae says though he can’t stop the wide grin on his face. His skin is a little dry on the high points of his cheek, a little burnt from the winter sun.

‘They’re perfect,’ Minseok grins, holding the cold roots in his hands, rubbing his thumbs over the cold dirt. ‘We can add this to a potato stew or something.’

Jongdae nods happily, hair bouncing about. He’s let it grow out, earthy brown curls that are a mess early in the mornings when he comes to complain about working out despite following through with it every day. Minseok still worries about Jongdae’s leg, because with the cold settling in, Jongdae frequently had to take a break or sit down, pain overtaking his leg. Minseok has done his best, reading research and old documentation regarding injuries, on what to do regarding Jongdae’s injury. But there’s nothing more he can do. Jongdae was going to have to live with this the rest of his life. So Minseok has done his best to help Jongdae strengthen himself.

‘I think the radishes are coming along very well,’ Minseok points downwards. The radishes don’t look impressive, but from some careful inspection, Minseok finds that they were growing quite well. Their winter vegetation was growing quite well. In the past few weeks they even managed to successfully build a greenhouse. However, their success rate inside wasn’t the highest. Most sunny winter days, Jongdae would be in the greenhouse, experimenting with the best way to maintain the humidity and temperatures inside.

A cold breeze rises up, and despite the late morning sun, they both shiver. Admittedly they’re not wearing the warmest clothes. Minseok’s been having some problems finding appropriate winter clothing because it’s never been necessary before. He did find thermal gear, to be worn by people under their bio-suits during necessary ventures outdoors for frigid conditions. But it was too much for the early days of winter, both of them breaking out into sweat almost immediately when they wore them.

‘Smells cold,’ Jongdae sniffs, squinting up at the pale blue sky.

‘What does that mean?’ Minseok laughs, placing the turnips into their tray carefully.

‘Does it snow here?’ Jongdae asks.

‘We do- but it’s always mixed with rain- so it forms sleet more than anything,’ Minseok recalls, thinking back.

‘About 2 years ago?’ Jongdae begins, picking up their other tray as they make their way back into the Bunker, ‘I was travelling past this massive mountain range. It was the first time I got to witness snow so close. I think there might have been some sort of landslide some weeks before I got there, and the snow had clumped up into bits of ice. And well- it was really cold.’

Minseok laughs again, balancing his own tray carefully before him. Chen is waiting for them by the doorway, stationed to keep an eye out around the compounds. Jongdae had installed a security chip in the android, linking up to the Bunker’s security system. So that way, they had an added layer of security.

‘No!’ Jongdae argues though he’s laughing as well, ‘I don’t know how to describe it- it’s just, well, there’s such a different cold-ness to snow, and right now, it smells like that!’

‘I believe you,’ Minseok chuckles.

‘Maybe when we get to the other bunker it’ll be clearer?’

After some intense planning, they had both agreed (with trepidation and nervousness from Minseok’s part) on exploring the Bunker Jongdae had first sought refuge in. According to what Minseok’s been able to gather from Jongdae’s recount of his journey, the environment and surroundings, as well as estimating Chen’s speed, the Bunker was at a distance none of them would be able to safely walk to. Unless you were an android of course. And seeing as they weren’t androids, they had to plan their journey carefully. They estimate the distance at over 3-4 days on foot. However, if they used one of the many land transporters inside Minseok’s Bunker, they could make the journey in a day.

The main reason for going there was to pick up Jongdae’s lost belongings; his scores and scores of research, data, as well as a chance for Minseok to step outside of the Bunker in a controlled manner. Of course Minseok is not naïve- he knows there’s a high chance they could come across Survivors, and evolved creatures. Also while they had something of a pathway, a trajectory, it was based on old maps and imaging, a few of which Jongdae had already pointed out as being wrong or changed. Yet somehow, this was an area already traversed- a path taken before, and Minseok draws reassurance from that.

Regardless they’re packed with emergency kits, medical supplies, some light but strong machinery and tools. They would be taking the one-man transporters for this journey. It went over nearly every terrain, and the mechanics of it, as Jongdae had gushed, was similar to the ones used for the Trappist motherships. They took turns taking them transporters out into the compound, getting used to the controls. Minseok had trained in one of them before, but it had been at least 7 years ago. His shoulders and arms ached from the tension and strain at first, but a few days later, he was comfortably making rounds around the compound. Jongdae was especially pleased, nose ruddy and eyes teary from the cold air, as he took the transporter out of the compound limits, past the walls. Minseok kept a nervous and watchful eye over his small distant form, but he came back safe and sound (and dusty), absolutely giddy with excitement.

They storage compartments as well as caddy attachments were carefully filled, not too heavy, and they tested those as well. Though it was mainly for Minseok’s sake. He had argued that he didn’t want to be unprepared in any way- at least not in areas he could very well control.

They also pack a good ration of food and water, and though Minseok is dubious about it, the water filters as well. He’s never used them before- not even _inside _the Bunker so he doesn’t know how much of it he trusted with water sources _outside _the Bunker. But Jongdae reassures him that if anything were to happen, it would have already happened to him some years ago. And while that was not a standard Minseok had hoped for, Jongdae did have a point.

The night before leaving, Minseok is nervous and anxious.

It’s been a little over a month since he stepped out of the Bunker without a bio-suit. And the first week was spent in a state of strange shock. He had nearly cried when he dug his hands through the soft dirt in the compound gardens, eyes blurring rapidly. Jongdae had pretended to be very interested in some rocks while Minseok wiped at his eyes quickly. He did however, actually cry when he carefully uprooted the remains of his favourite bougainvillea. He was alone during that though, the sun only just barely rising into the early morning sky. He later planted a magnolia sapling in its place.

Minseok quietly makes his way out of his rooms and finds his way to the kitchen. He’s pouring himself a cup of tea when Jongdae quietly joins him.

‘Can’t sleep?’

Minseok hums in reply, pouring him a cup as well. 

‘It’s okay, you know,’ Jongdae says again, ‘If you don’t want to go.’

‘I want to,’ Minseok reaffirms, ‘I don’t…I don’t want to give myself excuses.’

Jongdae studies him, a look in his eyes Minseok can’t recognize, a look Minseok can’t identify because he can’t lock eyes with Jongdae like this.

‘I’ll be here,’ Jongdae tells him quietly, the warmth of his voice resting somewhere in his chest, better than the cup of tea in his hands.

‘I know,’ Minseok smiles, cradling the wide cup carefully, ‘I don’t think I’d be able to do this if you weren’t here.’

There’s a lulling quiet over Minseok’s mind now, his thoughts soothed despite not knowing what thought was plaguing him so.

‘Me too.’

*

One of the main precautions that they take is to gear up in the bio-suit. Jongdae had immediately agreed, saying that when he had travelled, he always wore his bio-suit until he was able to fortify and guarantee the safety of a location. Just to be safe, they also wear the thermal gear. Minseok knows for a fact that with the speed they would be travelling in, it would be colder than if they chose to walk.

The transporters are waiting for them at one of the larger Hangars inside the Bunker. Chen is by the gateway, staying behind to keep watch.

For a moment, Minseok doesn’t know how to feel. Leaving the Bunker was something he never once imagined- something he never thought possible, something he never wanted to do. It almost felt as though he was doing something wrong. But the idea, the fact that he was going to return, was making him feel better.

In fact, it’s almost his primary source of determination driving this venture.

‘Here,’ Jongdae says, reaching around the back for him to make sure the bio-suit and helmet were properly clipped on.

‘Thanks,’ Minseok replies, pushing down the churning in his stomach. Suddenly, his hands are numb, and he fumbles with the carrier meant for his back. Jongdae quietly helps him, adjusting the length of the carrier and hefting it up so that Minseok could slip it on. He doesn’t say anything, just reaches forward to wrap his gloved hand around the back of helmeted head, pulling him close until their visors clack together.

Minseok closes his eyes, breathing in and out slowly, hands clenching and unclenching. Then slowly, he nods, feeling and warmth returning to his hands and feet, his ears clearing of the ringing sound he hadn’t noticed earlier.

‘You got this,’ Jongdae knocks on the side of his helmet, as though checking to see if it was on properly.

‘Yeah,’ Minseok nods, rolling his shoulders and bouncing a few times on his feet. ‘Yeah. Let’s do this.’

The transporter hovers over the ground as soon as Minseok activates it. The scanner blinks a few times, light projecting out to scan several meters around the transporter before blinking out, transmission completed and ready. The hum of the machine, the gentle vibration of the engine-core, and his own breathing is all he hears as the Hangar gates lift.

The winter sun is gentle and mild, the weeds and grass a muted and faded grey, brown, and green. And above, the sky extends on, as though indicative of the boundaries Minseok has yet to cross.

Leading forward, Minseok directs his transporter ahead and out into the compound, Jongdae behind him. He spies the compound gate directly ahead of them opening.

Refusing to think any more, Minseok heads straight for the gates.

There’s a strange urge- the desire to stop and turn back around, to return to his duties as the last keeper of his Bunker. To return home, to everything that has always been safe, to everything that has always kept him safe. But deeper past that, there’s an even stranger urge- a growing one, that wants to push past what he knows, what he perceives. Because already, the landscape is shifting with every second he moves forward- the mountains and rolling plains and hills are shifting, showing him more to what lay before him.

When Minseok leaves the compound grounds, the gates closing behind him, he’s filled with the urge to both cry and laugh. Every second, and now minutes, taking him further and further until-

‘_Minseok.’_

He turns to glance at the other man just a little behind him.

‘What?’ Minseok asks breathlessly, as though he had just finished running. He can’t see Jongdae’s face, but it’s almost as though he can see him smile.

‘_Slow down for a moment.’_

Minseok stops, limbs shaky now that he wasn’t gripping at the handles. Jongdae stops as well, already pushing his visor away, eyes crinkled in a way Minseok is achingly familiar with.

‘Look behind you.’

Taking a breath, Minseok turns.

The Bunker is shockingly far away and below. Minseok never realized how far these rolling plains were. And he never realized just how _empty _and yet encompassing this whole valley was.

He can see the sea in the horizon, glistening under the morning sunlight. He sees the edges and peaks of the cliffs, sees where the river dips down into a shallow basin before spilling out into the sea. He can track the tunnels leading towards the observatory, trace the compound fence in a neat ring around the Bunker. Somehow it felt so large, and yet, Minseok is struck by how minute it appeared from here.

‘It’s so small,’ Minseok breathes out, pushing his visor up. He shivers at the onslaught of cold air on his heated face. ‘So…somehow so…’

He doesn’t know what to say. Insignificant? No, he can’t call it that. A reminder of everything that lead up to _this _– a symbol of lies? Minseok pushes down his visor and turns his back. They travel forward until Minseok is sure he won’t be able to see the Bunker. But he still doesn’t look back.

The hilly plains are much more lush and teeming with life on this side rather than closer to the Bunker. Minseok wonders if this was simply a coincidence or something more. They keep wary eyes out as they push through large wild fields of waving dry grass. They spend nearly 45 minutes here, eyes peeled, travelling at a consistent pace. Once they break through, they both let out sighs of relief. The terrain is consistently bumpy, rough patches here and there, mossy rocks in abundance.

‘_Minseok. Look.’_ Jongdae calls quietly, slowing to a stop. Minseok slows down, turning his transporter around to look where Jongdae was pointing.

There’s a moss covered rocky outcrop. Minseok’s not sure what it is, but he knows it’s not natural. Upon closer inspection, Minseok realizes he’s looking at what appeared to be incredibly old foundations of what must have been a large structure. Past this one pushing up, with a jolting realization, Minseok spots a pattern: _windows_.

There were windows stretched over the mossy grassy field, random jutting crumbling foundation pillars breaking through unnaturally.

‘There must have been a city in this area at one point,’ Jongdae guesses, looking about as he kept balance on his transporter. They don’t know how strong the grounds would be, considering they’re _windows_. ‘Or maybe even a large town.’

Minseok nods, eyes wide as he takes in a glimpse of a past right before him.

They document its location on their tracking system, making a clear pathway of their journey. By high noon, the mountains though still quite distant, seem to grow taller. There’s a wide expanse of broken and shifted plateaus- but Minseok can’t help but imagine cities buried underneath them- like great ancient bones of a living Being much too large to have possibly existed.

The Bunker did not have a cemetery. The dead were cremated, their ashes either carefully sealed and given to remaining family members, or in some rare ceremony, let out of the hatch in the observatory. Minseok has only witnessed it happening once before, when he was quite young. He remembers his mothers debating whether they should take Minseok or not.

He’s never been to one either- he’s read of them, seen pictures of them.

And with a realization that’s strangely terrifying, but also subduing, Minseok accepts that almost everything that existed around him was nothing more than a cemetery; a graveyard where the glories, rage, mistakes, fears, ego, and pains of the past were buried.

They leave the odd valley created by the plateaus, and Minseok feels like he can finally breathe.

‘This will one day become a forest,’ Minseok says quietly as they enter a rather wide ravine, the river that ran to the sea past Minseok’s Bunker, rushing in great strength. There are promising saplings, taking root on the gravel-like soil, bushes of great thickness extending at random.

They climb upwards, high cliffs forming on steep hillsides as though cleanly shorn by a knife. It’s tricky, but they manage to make their way around the more difficult parts.

When they reach the top, they realize they hadn’t noticed an incredibly old pulley system that was still somehow standing.

‘They must have set up stations like this to quickly transport things,’ Minseok observes as they slow down, looking at awe at the rundown station. It’s not very large- a flat and narrow building, dilapidated windows, and overgrown dying shrubbery.

‘Oh my god,’ Jongdae exclaims, pushing his visor off, pointing to the end of the station. There, stacked and attached to the side of the station were crates, exactly like the ones Chen had brought Jongdae in.

‘Well…that explains it then I guess…’

‘Did…did he just push me down the pulley system?!’ Jongdae squeaks out, skin paling and eyes widening as he stares at the extended pulley system, the eroded wires and frames extending downwards into the ravine, past the cliffs, and towards the east.

Minseok shudders at the thought, but it was most likely that. There would have been no other way in which Chen would have been able to transport Jongdae like that.

‘There are probably connecting stations,’ Minseok ruminates, slowly moving ahead, turning away from the station. ‘I think it’s safe to say Chen must have inspected for durability, or he wouldn’t have made that decision.’

Jongdae gives him an incredulous look.

‘I think I preferred not knowing how Chen brought me to you.’ He grimaces before adding with a quick wink, ‘After all, it’s the destination that matters, not the journey.’

Feeling his face flush, Minseok rolls his eyes, pushing down his visor before saying, ‘Pretty sure you have that the wrong way around.’

Jongdae laughs.

They drive for an additional hour before they arrive at the base of a wide and flat-topped hill. And at the very top of the hill, Minseok spies another Bunker. It’s not as large as the one he grew up in, but it’s still sizeable. However, in between them and the Bunker lay a massive lake. He’s sure they can drive around it, but Jongdae pushes his visor up, giving him a bright grin before speeding ahead and straight for the water.

‘Jongdae!’ Minseok yells though he’s laughing.

In a great splash of water that arches in thin waves on either side of him, Minseok glides over the surface of the lake.

_‘Open your visor!’_ Jongdae calls. ‘_And welcome to my swimming pool!’_

Without hesitation, Minseok pushes the visor off and he’s met with a rush of fine water-spray carried over by the cool air.

Jongdae lets out a cheer, both hands flying up above his head as he speeds ahead. Minseok can’t help himself as he grins wide, delight spreading all over him. The water ripples, breaking the endless reflection of blue skies, white clouds, snowy mountains, green wide hills, and for a moment.

For a moment, Minseok is _flying._

*

The sun is setting as they make their climb up the hill. The whole hill seems to compromise of the Bunker’s compounds. Minseok spies a collapsed Hangar gateway to the side, part of the hill sinking in, but now covered in growth and decay. The dome over the Bunker is broken, falling apart. There are ashy dead trees reaching up just a little, too rained on by the PuriZones in the area to have survived.

It’s strangely terrifying- this was a future that would have probably awaited his Bunker.

And what had they called it in the past? A saying that described how change like an avalanche, started from the smallest of pebbles.

‘The place looks greener than before,’ Jongdae tells him, waving a hand about in a sweeping gesture. ‘This whole place was just dirt and like, large grainy black sands.’

They stop some ways before the Bunker, eyes peeled and ears straining for any strange sound. Minseok retrieves his scanner, and using his transporter as the transmitter, scans the area for any remains of the Strain. While it wasn’t the most reliable, it was better than going in blind.

‘My stuff was in the upstairs Lobby,’ Jongdae had told him a few days ago, ‘We might have to scale upwards through the inner-ring gardens. When I was there, all of the lifts and stairs that lead up were either completely barred and blocked off, or completely destroyed.’

The layout is almost the same, except smaller. They pass through the shower-chamber, the floors covered in a thick layer of dried dirt, decayed plants, and general debris. Tapping on the side of their helmets, they activate the headlamps on either side of their heads. They pause once more, scanning the area again once more before crossing inside.

Minseok tries not to pay attention to the shaking of his legs. Tentatively, he pushes up his visor again, feeling suffocated. The air smells stale in a way Minseok doesn’t recognize nor appreciate. There’s a stench of cold decay, lingering remnants of fear and pain.

‘What do you think happened here?’ Minseok asks quietly.

‘I was able to extract some records,’ Jongdae tells him. ‘Nothing too informative. But from what I was able to gather, the place went down, before the people in here were ready to leave for Trappist. Also, according to what I found, it was like the place was left in a great hurry- there were trays at the canteen area and the kitchens, and well- I think Survivors tore through the place.’

Minseok can’t help but feel like he’s missing something here- like something should be clicking but it wasn’t quite registering just yet.

‘Are those records still saved?’ Minseok asks.

‘Yeah, I put them into my drivers,’ Jongdae replies, ‘I think once we’re able to get up, we should be okay.’

The further they go inside, Minseok can also tell how the whole Bunker seemed to have gone through a massive upheaval. There are terrible massive gooey stains, dried but still strangely thick and viscous, scattered across the floors and walls. Dried and thick vegetation that spread about the place are dead and half-rotted, covered in a thick layer of fungi and mold. The kitchen area is covered in a thick growth of some sort of fungi that Minseok has no desire to approach regardless of Jongdae’s quiet warning.

‘It’s been like that since I came here,’ Jongdae tells him, ‘I think it’s some sort of evolved fungi- I took some samples, and wasn’t able to identify it because it grew too fast and too thick.’

‘What did you do?’

‘Burnt it,’ Jongdae says with a grimace. ‘But seeing as it’s not…spread past this area, I dunno…maybe the kitchen area has good conditions for it?’

‘Well…the ceiling hasn’t collapsed here- the windows are intact. Maybe it doesn’t like the sunlight? Possibly averse to the rain from the PuriZones,’ Minseok theorizes before asking, ‘You have the research-?’

‘This way,’ Jongdae gestures grandly, making sweeping gestures again but this time more flamboyantly.

They make it to the inner-ring without incident (they scan once more) and Minseok is filled with a sense of sorrow.

‘I think these were some form of fruit trees too,’ Minseok carefully touches the fading tree.

‘The data said they were some form of grapefruit,’ Jongdae provides, widening the cone of his light to shine at a wider angle. ‘It must have smelt really nice when the flowers were in bloom.’

‘Yeah,’ Minseok says softly, looking up at the broken dome-ceiling, the winter evening sky slowly taking over in a faded gradient of blue to indigo.

‘Minseok, this way- I put this makeshift ladder here and-‘ Jongdae suddenly yelps in shock as the thick dried undergrowth surrounding the inner-rings bursts into activity.

Minseok is already kneeling on one knee, his launcher ready to shoot but-

‘Wait!’ Jongdae calls out quickly, gasping for breath from being shocked, ‘It’s not Survivors- just- just foxes?’

Minseok is still tensed, his pulse raging in his ears, skin prickling with sudden heat and sweat. His hand is shaking a little, the light from the launcher shaking with him.

After what felt like the longest 10 seconds of Minseok’s life, a small creature that indeed looked very much like a fox pokes its head out from the undergrowth it had ran into.

‘Fuck-‘ Minseok nearly collapses on all four, his launcher falling with a clatter that startles the fox-like creature though it doesn’t move away.

Jongdae carefully and slowly approaches him, not wanting to further alarm the fox.

‘Need a moment?’ Jongdae asks, crouching down to sit next to him, also sounding breathless.

‘Yeah,’ Minseok groans out, closing his eyes as a bout of dizziness hits him.

‘If they’re here, I’m guessing there are no Survivors around,’ Jongdae says quietly, a hand reaching to apply gentle force on Minseok’s nape. It’s grounding, and Minseok doesn’t feel like the dilapidated bunker was spinning around him anymore.

The fox comes to sniff around them, its fur is shaggy, but oddly clean. It smells like something Minseok has never smelt before and he needs to push his visor down to stop the sensory overload. After a few more minutes in which the red sunlight of the setting sun bathes the broken Bunker in a warm filter of light, Minseok pulls himself together and climbs up the make-shift ladder up first before helping Jongdae climb up.

Upstairs is much cleaner for sure. It’s evidently been cleaned up by Jongdae at some point, but dust, and the remains of water stains from the rain remain. They scan once more before Jongdae leads them to his “bedroom”, which is one of the medical bays.

Breathing out a sigh of relief at finding everything intact and how he left it, Jongdae quickly gets to work. Minseok walks up to the singular wide window at the end of the bay, the sun setting beyond the sea. He didn’t think the sea would be _this _close.

And he didn’t think that the ship Jongdae had told him about, carrying in it incredibly wild and terrifying hordes of Survivors, would be that _large _either.

‘Is that the ship that-?’ Minseok points at the strange design of the hulking structure, beached out over the shore.

‘Yeah,’ Jongdae nods, walking over to the window, expression grim.

‘It’s…it’s very old.’ Minseok observes, squinting at the shape and form, pushing away the images of the night when the Survivors stormed the Bunker. ‘It must have been stranded for years out there…do you think there could be more?’

In the beginning, the idea of living out at the sea had been a popular one. Survivors could not swim, water deterred them. It’s why so many of the first Bunkers were surrounded by wide deep trenches filled with water. But this was not a sustainable practice for living- not to mention impractical in many ways. But there were those who insisted on pushing for living in large ships, many companies selling supposed survival-ships, or living spaces inside town-sized ships for families, guaranteeing safety. Most were lost to the sea, or when the Strain broke out eventually, were large floating time-bombs just waiting to reach shore.

‘I don’t know,’ Jongdae replies honestly, stepping back, ‘Honestly, this whole thing is already unimaginable- the idea that a decades old ship lost at sea, and suddenly making land, bursting with Survivors?’

If Minseok had not seen what he had seen, he would have thought of the whole notion as being incredibly dubious. It takes them around 30 minutes to gather and collect all of Jongdae’s important belongings. Then they make their way back down. It’s dark now, and their headlamps are the only source of light in here. They run another scan, just to be safe, as they make for the lower-levels.

When Jongdae had arrived here all those months ago, he had entered the place from the Hangars facing the sea. He was confident that his transporter was still there and by some odd miracle, and a lot of relief, they find the Hangar completely untouched and just as Jongdae left it. His transporter is an old model- older than the ones in Minseok’s Bunker. It’s evidently been through a lot. There’s massive gashes, dents, scratches, and a worrying dent on the roof decorating the whole exterior. But inside is intact and very well maintained.

‘I guess they really didn’t spend too long here,’ Jongdae remarks, looking about the wide Hangar. He had also done a good job of cleaning up the place, the large land and water transporter still docked on the stands.

‘I’ll bring the transporters here?’ Minseok asks, removing the control screen from his pocket.

‘Yeah- I think we’ll be good to go,’ Jongdae nods as he drags out the generator he had been using to charge up the docking stand. ‘Might need to refuel this.’

Minseok remote activates their transporters outside the Bunker to make their way towards the Hangar. They work quickly and quietly. Jongdae’s brows are pinched as he activates his sturdy transporter, but they smooth out when the transporter starts with no problem. They lower the stands, and bring the transporter level down.

‘Well, well,’ Jongdae pushes an arm out of the window, angling his head in a faux-cocky manner, ‘Need a ride?’

Minseok laughs, reaching over to punch his stretched out arm.

‘Stop being gross,’ Minseok laughs, ‘And open up the back!’

Jongdae gives him a two-finger salute and a wink before following out his orders.

‘I’m gonna open the gates,’ Minseok calls out, quickly checking the dimly lit exterior through the narrow window to the side. Their transporters are already there, the light of their headlamps low but providing a good illumination to the messy courtyard outside.

Jongdae gives him a thumbs up and switches on his lights. Minseok unlocks the manual gate mechanism to the side and putting his strength into it, turns the wheel upwards. It doesn’t give for a moment, but there’s a clear and clean latching sound, and the gate smoothly and slowly pulls up. Minseok pauses when he’s lifted the gate a foot up, checking through the window again. It’s clear out, so he continues. They do this 5 more times until the gates are fully open. Jongdae drives the transporter out slowly and easily.

‘It’s kinda weird to be back on here,’ Jongdae remarks as soon as Minseok has lowered the gates, making sure to keep it locked up again. ‘This was my home for a really long time.’

‘I’ve never been on a sleepover,’ Minseok grins up at Jongdae, his breath white, ‘First time for everything I guess.’

Jongdae’s eyes sparkle as he looks down at Minseok.

‘I’ve never had a sleepover with someone else,’ Jongdae says. ‘First time for everything.’

Minseok brings their transporters inside as Jongdae keeps an eye out, scanner in his hands. Minseok secures the transporter and climbs through from the back. He sees a folded cot to the side, several storage crates, large barrels of water, several transformers and generators, and hanging from the walls are a few bio-suits.

He makes his way to the front and takes a seat next to Jongdae’s.

‘I’ve never sat on the passenger seat either,’ he smiles, ‘Guess you’ve never had a passenger?’

‘Only in my imagination,’ Jongdae says with so much seriousness Minseok doesn’t have the heart to tease him. ‘Ready?’

Minseok nods, only jumping a little when the security straps pop out from the sides.

‘I’ve only ever driven myself before,’ Jongdae says apologetically, ‘I don’t know if you’ll find it too comfortable. If I’m going too fast or something, just tell me.’

‘I know you’re just trying to be honest but this is really not helping me cope,’ Minseok swallows, gripping the handles on either side of his seat.

Jongdae can only laugh apologetically before he drives them down the sloping hill and towards the shore.

They steer clear of the general area of the ship wreckage- but it’s a massive stretch of shoreline, so they don’t have to go out of their way too much. When they hit the sea, they both breathe out in relief.

The moon is out, not quite a full moon, but still bright as it rises past the horizon. Jongdae reaches up and slides the sun-roof down. Minseok shivers as they’re hit with the cold wind but he still stands up on his seat, pushing his head and shoulder past the opening.

His eyes follow and trail the shore to their right before he turns around to look behind them.

The broken down Bunker gleams faintly in the moonlight, atop the hill, behind it a wide and endless ranges of mountains that seem to go on for forever. Here, at the edge between the endless seas and lost lands, Minseok feels delightfully small- a lingering witness of life simply existing.

‘How is it?!’ Jongdae yells from inside.

‘Beautiful!’ Minseok yells back.

‘It’s amazing isn’t it-?’

‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE GO BACK INSIDE-!’ Minseok shrieks as Jongdae also pokes his head out.

‘Autopilot!’ Jongdae laughs, crossing his arms over the roof and resting his head on it, eyes closing as the wind whips his hair back.

Minseok can only gape before he tells himself that, well, their path forward was pretty…forward. No steering required. After a few tense moments he finds himself relaxing as well, mimicking Jongdae’s pose and leaning his head over his arms.

He thinks he hears Jongdae say something, but he’s not quite sure.

‘Hm?’

‘Sometimes at night, sea creatures come up the surface,’ Jongdae says quietly, ‘They glow sometimes- or are so dark, that they appear to be floating chasms under the surface.’

Minseok shivers a little.

‘I had stopped one night- exhausted and kinda lost,’ Jongdae chuckles, ‘I thought I bit off more than I could chew. It was actually when I landed here.’

Minseok leans over a little bit more, their elbows touching slightly.

‘There was this…this massive _flock_,’ Jongdae describes, ‘I’ve never seen such creatures- the edges of their…their _wings_, they were glowing. It was like they were flying underwater. The light from their flock woke me up actually. And I just…I just followed them, slowly- like I was following the lines that connect the stars to form a constellation.’

Jongdae lifts his head, tilting back to look at the sky above them. Minseok doesn’t look away from the man next to him, studying his moonlit features silently.

It soon gets too cold for them to stay outside so they head back inside into warmth.

Almost an hour before dawn they see it.

‘I’ve never seen it from this angle before,’ Minseok breathes out, sitting up straight on his chair.

The observatory is softly lit from the inside, the large dome like a lighthouse signaling them back to land and safety. Signaling Minseok back home.

‘Oh- oh wow, look at that,’ Jongdae points to the shores beneath the high cliffs.

The wreckage of the PuriZone was so much larger from this perspective. As they approach it and Jongdae takes over the driving function manually, Minseok is in awe of how massive it is. Somehow like this, waterlogged and crumbling, he cannot imagine how it must have once floated high up in the atmosphere. They carefully circle the massive wreck and Minseok puts aside his awe for a moment to run some basic scans over it.

‘You wanna check it out?’ he asks Jongdae.

Jongdae looks surprised but he just laughs, shaking his head, ‘I don’t think we should try when it’s dark.’

‘You have a point,’ Minseok sighs solemnly, making Jongdae laugh again.

‘But hey- you wanna watch the sunrise?’

Minseok looks out of the windows in amusement, ‘It’s super dark.’

‘Well, isn’t there that saying, about it always being darkest before the dawn?’

‘Sure then,’ Minseok agrees, sitting back and placing back his scanner.

‘I think I see a good place we can park for a bit,’ Jongdae nods towards the shore.

They gently reach the dark sandy shores, slowly to a stop. Minseok runs a quick preliminary check of the place, and with their proximity to the Observatory, is able to access the security system. The whole area is clear and no signs of Survivors, old or new, are picked up.

Suddenly with a gleeful energy, Jongdae gets out of his seat and out of the transporter and starts to remove his bio-suit.

‘What are you doing?!’ Minseok demands incredulously.

‘I wanna swim!’ Jongdae declares.

‘It’s _freezing-!_’ Minseok shrieks as Jongdae hops forward on his good leg, the other raised so that he could remove the boot from it.

But Jongdae just cackles gleefully and Minseok quickly steps out as well. He’s stepped out of both boots and quickly sheds the bio-suit completely. He even removes the thicker thermal wear and he’s down to leggings and a shirt that belonged to Minseok.

‘Come on!’ Jongdae gestures to him before quickly limp-jogging ahead towards the water. He squeaks loudly as he hits the gentle shoreline.

‘You’re mad!’ Minseok yells as Jongdae gets in up to his hips.

‘Come on!’ he yells again, splashing the water about happily.

‘I can’t believe this,’ Minseok mumbles under his breath but he follows suit as well, heart beating fast, skin thrumming with excitement.

The moment his bare feet touch the wet sand, Minseok gives pause.

This would be the first time he’s ever experienced the _sea. _He knows how to swim- he’s not so worried about that. But a sudden fear seizes him as he looks out into the wide darkness- a dark moving force, a mystery no one was ever able to solve. A mystery that was so impossible, they were able to make their way through _the stars _before they were able to even understand the depths of this planet.

‘Minseok!’

Jongdae sticks out clearly, his white shirt starkly visible in the slowly lightening air. And his feet are leading him forward, guided by the lines between stars, forming constellations, forming patterns and shapes and now-

The water is freezing but Minseok keeps his eyes on the light before him, until the lines close, the shapes blurring and forming into one as their hands meet.

‘I know it’s kinda scary,’ Jongdae says, water drops on his skin like the stars above them. A new constellation guiding him.

‘Yeah,’ Minseok agrees, looking down at the water, seeing both of their feet, their hands, the dark outlines of their legs.

Jongdae looks back, the horizon lighting up slowly.

‘You wanna see something beautiful?’

‘More beautiful than this.’

‘Yes.’

‘Okay.’

Jongdae pulls them further out until Minseok’s feet are no longer on the sandy floors, the water lapping around his neck.

‘Take a deep breath.’

They both take a deep breath and plunge under the surface.

It’s overwhelming, but incredibly subdued all at once. Minseok’s instincts want him to kick back up to the surface, but he stays. He stays, adjusting his eyes to the dim expanse past Jongdae. There’s a glowing gold line that seems to spread above them- ripples of water and light weaving a net of illumination around them.

Jongdae’s eyes are crinkled, grinning at Minseok before swimming up closer and turning around. He gestures ahead and above, pointing at the golden lines forming on the distant surface of depths unimaginable. After a few seconds they both swim up for air.

‘One more time!’ Minseok manages to gasp out, pushing his hair away, shuddering at the cold air. The sea now felt safer instead- especially as the spreading rose-gold of dawn was starting to quietly take over.

Jongdae nods, ‘I think I saw some pretty pebbles- might be interesting to run samples too right?’

Minseok nods eagerly.

They both duck down again and this time Minseok is ready. He watches as the light expands the depths around him, a curtain lifting. His pulse slows, ebbs around him like the gentle currents of the sea.

Jongdae swims up before him, brighter than before.

There’s a light in his eyes.

A light that was once nearly impossible to see past the quiet solitude and emptiness.

The light is impossibly bright – unexplored, unknown, only imagined, discussed; a light that existed _now _before him had once been a dream of a past, and with tenuous hope, of the future.

And as Minseok exhales out, his breath forming bubbles, this strange and foreign _hope _buried deep _deep _in him, slowly pushes through, eyes open to the endless possibilities that lay within his grasp.

‘Minseok!’

Jongdae pulls them up out of the water, heads breaking the surface, in his hands are glimmering smooth pebbles. They’re still covered in bits of sand and sediment, hastily brushed off by eager fingers. Minseok reaches out for them immediately, a smile already on his lips.

‘It’s not much,’ Jongdae says though he can’t stop the wide grin on his face. ‘They’re perfect,’ Minseok grins, holding the pebbles in his hands, rubbing his thumbs over the cold smooth surface. 

‘What’s that?’ Jongdae asks suddenly, reaching forward to lightly touch at a spot just above his sternum.

‘Oh,’ Minseok looks down at the cog tied to the cord around his neck.

Jongdae swims a little closer, skin cold, eyes warm.

‘Chen gave them to me,’ Minseok laughs, hooking the cord under one finger to properly show Jongdae.

‘It’s-‘ Jongdae huffs out a small laugh as he reads the etching, ‘It’s one of mine.’

‘Yeah?’

The water laps around him, moving him closer to Jongdae.

‘You know, Chen- he uh. He brought me the pits- from the peaches,’ Jongdae reaches over to rub his thumb over the cog.

He’s close- close enough for Minseok to count his lashes if wanted.

‘I didn’t know what to think of it- it just…it was like a promise.’

‘A promise?’

When Jongdae looks up at him, there’s a clarity in them that suddenly reflects Minseok- a clarity that reflects exactly what he was thinking- what he was about to do-

‘A promise of shelter.’

As dawn lights up the sea around them and the sky above them, Jongdae leans in and presses their lips together.

*

Jongdae’s research, the data he accumulated from the many Bunkers and observatories and facilities he came across over the years, is overwhelming. They transfer all of the information and data, both of them with stuffed noses and slight fever warming their skin. Jongdae pushes a cup of steaming tea towards him, nose slightly ruddy.

‘In all my years of being out there I never once caught a cold,’ he bemoans, sitting down next to Minseok as he categorizes the new data into the Bunker’s archives. ‘And _now _I do.’

‘Well, I think it’s only fair that we acknowledge that this is-‘

‘-my fault,’ Jongdae sighs, adding with a groan, ‘Oh god I wish I could breathe through my nose again.’

Minseok laughs, throat itchy and skin tingly. They’re both sleepy from their medication but Minseok was too enthralled by the research they retrieved to nap. Jongdae’s hair is a mess, one side sticking up in a funny angle from sleeping up against it no doubt. Minseok reaches over to flatten it down- or at least try to. Jongdae leans into his touch, eyes closing.

‘You should go nap again,’ Minseok says quietly, feeling at his forehead. It’s not an alarming fever, but they were both warmer than normal.

‘If I do I’ll wake up with a headache,’ Jongdae takes his hand in his, ‘Besides, _you _should be the one napping. How long have you been up?’

‘Just a couple of hours,’ Minseok replies, reaching for his cup of tea with his free hand. ‘I uh- I dunno, I feel like…there’s something important here. For me to see.’

‘It is fascinating,’ Jongdae nods in agreement, ‘Not a single Bunker is like the other, priorities, functionality- social community rules and systems - there’s a lot.’

Minseok looks back at the screen; the transfer was nearly complete. He also knows he can patch together a newer and more accurate map based on all of this data- what with the data Jongdae pulled from the many PuriZones he brought down. But his interest is fixated on the other Bunker.

Not just because it was the first Bunker outside of his own that he’s been to, but there was something here that he wasn’t connecting just yet. And he needed to see to it.

Jongdae helps him arrange and categorize their data, blinking sleepily in the process. They pause to take a late lunch break, spooning mouthfuls of hot potato and turnip stew into their mouths out in the inner-ring garden. Chen goes about distributing bits of bird-feed, the whole flock now recognizing the android as their primary source of food.

‘He loves it here,’ Jongdae grins over his half-empty bowl, nodding at Chen who was spreading its arms out, metallic hands carefully cupping the bird-feed, slowly walking with dozens of sparrows flitting about and settling over him.

‘Gonna have to make sure his varnish is maintained,’ Minseok remarks dryly, ‘Centuries of technological advances- we attained interstellar space travel and yet bird-droppings still manage to erode most metals.’

Jongdae chokes on his stew mid-laugh.

After lunch and another dose of medication, they had back to the labs. Somewhere towards the later afternoon, Minseok finds his eyes unable to focus so he goes to lay down for a while, practically ordered away by Jongdae. He wakes up again just as the sun is setting, golden light spilling into his room from the hallway outside.

‘Dae?’ Minseok calls out as he shuffles towards the labs. He finds the other man also asleep but he’s propped himself on one of the longer benches in the lab. There’s a blanket over him, one that Chen clearly drew over him, seeing as the android was standing over Jongdae.

‘Thank you,’ Minseok smiles at the android, stepping towards Jongdae’s sleeping form and adjusting the blanket a little bit. He seemed comfortable enough, and Minseok’s not sure how long he’s been napping, so he leaves him be.

He goes back to the computers; a glance at the monitors shows him that Jongdae had seen through the full transfer and had already finished categorizing all of the new data based on zone and date. He nearly jumps in shock when he feels a blanket being placed over his shoulders. Chen quietly walks away and takes a seat in one of the empty chairs, somewhere right in between Minseok and Jongdae.

‘Thank you,’ Minseok says again, pulling the blanket around him. Reaching over the adjust the brightness of the monitors, Minseok crosses his legs over and huddles closer towards the desk tops.

The sound of the computers electric hum, the labs faint rhythmic beeps, and the sounds of Jongdae’s soft and slow breaths surround him in a safe cocoon.

*

‘What time is it?’

Minseok blinks, leaning back quickly in surprise and only just realizing how tense he had been the entire time, nearly bent over the desk tops, squinting at the monitors before him.

‘Oh- oh it’s-‘ Minseok’s voice cracks from disuse, his cold and- ‘-um, I think it’s almost midnight.’

When he looks over, he finds Jongdae sitting up, eyes squinting a little, his expression worried.

‘Are you okay?’ Jongdae asks, the blanket over him falling to the ground as he carefully pushes himself off of the bench.

Minseok hadn’t realized he had tears running down his eyes.

‘Oh-,’ Minseok reaches up to touch at his wet cheeks. ‘I think my eyes are tired-‘

Jongdae is there at once, warm hands cupping his face gently.

‘What is it?’ he asks gently, voice quiet and soothing.

‘Uh- um,’ Minseok gestures vaguely, ‘Grab a chair.’

Jongdae studies him carefully for a few seconds before nodding. He does however, lean forward to press a soft kiss on his forehead. The smile that forms on his lips is instant and warmth he didn’t realize he was missing floods him.

Jongdae pulls a chair over, sitting close.

‘I have a younger brother,’ Minseok tells him, turning to face him.

Jongdae looks surprised.

‘My mothers adopted him into the family- he was one of the few who managed to escape- I think probably the same way Chen brought you here. And he came from your Bunker- well, I mean, _that _Bunker- I compared the notes from our own archives, the data,’ Minseok explains.

‘Bunker refugees?’ Jongdae asks, sounding awed, ‘-I’ve heard about it, but I never…I never knew it actually happened. Not so recently anyways.’

Minseok nods, nodding towards the monitors, ‘Yeah, I’m pretty sure my brother escaped from there. Just a few of them though- I don’t remember much of it to be honest- I just know that my brother was the only survivor. We didn’t mention it much- at least not in the family; he was heavily traumatized, didn’t remember much of what happened.’

‘Were the council members…approving?’ Jongdae asks carefully.

Minseok gives him a wry smile, ‘It’s- well…you know how it is with the rosters in Bunkers- I’m guessing yours was pretty strict.’

‘Impossibly,’ Jongdae says with a roll of his eyes.

‘But he was just barely 7 at the time,’ Minseok explains, ‘He was allowed to live with us. We formally adopted him into our family registry.’

‘Your mums never discussed what they found out about him? Where he came from?’

‘I don’t think they cared,’ Minseok replies carefully, thinking hard, ‘And well- neither did I. I just…I just saw him as someone who was now my brother. Nothing beyond that mattered. And after our parents died- we were all we had- he was all I had here.’

Jongdae smiles but it’s tentative.

‘But he wasn’t listed in the roster.’ He states carefully.

Minseok nods.

Jongdae doesn’t say anything else and instead reaches over to pull Minseok into a hug.

‘It’s okay,’ Minseok says quietly, hugging him back just as tight.

‘That’s how you’re here.’

Minseok nods against Jongdae’s head. 

'It's why I'm here.'

*

‘Why were you crying?’ Jongdae asks later, in the quiet of the dark, in the secret of the night, the safety of sleep.

‘I think…I was just thinking about how everything that taught me the most about…about what it means to _live _– to be alive, and to…and to _love _like this...’ Minseok breathes out, eyes open in the darkness.

But he’s not alone. He’s never been alone.

‘They’ve both come to me from beyond the realm of possibility – from beyond the definition of life.’

He dreams of soaring white mountains under a sky alight with stars.

*

Jongdae is incredibly warm. Sleeping next to him was like sleeping right next to a heating-panel. And Minseok finds it comforting- the sense of being wrapped in it; in his sleep, in his dreams, in the liminal spaces in between as he awoke.

Making sure that the blanket was still tucked over the other, Minseok quietly gets up and walks out of the room. He’s back at the lab where he carefully adds an additional note to his family registry, connecting and interlocking the data so that now both Bunkers would be tied.

With everything readied and uploaded, Minseok and Jongdae could now access all of this information from their screens without having to be in the labs. He cleans up all of the hardware they had brought over, tidying up the lab. He puts all of Jongdae’s used items to the side for him to retrieve when he wished.

Sneezing violently a few times, Minseok makes his way to the kitchen to make breakfast. There’s a heavy mist outside, he can barely see their greenhouse or much of their garden area. By the time he’s plated his buckwheat pancakes to a plate, Jongdae shuffles in.

‘I can’t breathe through my nose,’ he says, his voice cracking. ‘Why do you look so much healthier than me?’

‘Because I’m healthier than you?’ Minseok shrugs with a grin.

Jongdae whines croakily, slumping against Minseok, warm head leaning up against his nape.

‘I bet that smells great, but I can’t smell it,’ he mumbles as he hooks his chin over Minseok’s shoulder. ‘Please feel bad for me.’

Minseok laughs, turning his head around to place a kiss on the side of Jongdae’s head. ‘Go sit down- we can put the map together over breakfast.’

Jongdae doesn’t move for a while, eyes closing as he leans against Minseok. It’s not as impeding or constricting to his movements as Minseok has to wait a while for the batter to cook on one side. But Jongdae does move eventually, cradling his plate of pancakes in his arms. He tries to inhale the smell but fails tragically. Minseok brings out a collection of preservers and _many _spoons to prevent the possibility of contamination.

‘Oh, I love sugar,’ Jongdae mumbles over a mouthful of pancake and peach and lime preserve.

Jongdae refuses to be useless and cleans up the breakfast dishes as well as mixing some tea for them. The sun breaks through the mist after a while, the kitchen filled with wintry sunlight.

They pour over the archives for the maps, connecting the zones together with the most recent scans from the PuriZones Jongdae had brought down. With every hour, the projection of their map grows larger and larger, and the world smaller and smaller.

Jongdae makes them lunch as Minseok continues to piece the map together- they keep a side-by-side comparison of the older maps with the latest results. Jongdae is carefully cubing the steaming freshly boiled potatoes when Minseok comes across it.

He doesn’t think Jongdae was keeping it secret, or was planning on doing so either. But it’s still somewhat of a jarring reminder that Minseok almost wishes he didn’t see.

He tracks the trajectory over their nearly completed map. He finds his Bunker on the map- the trajectory doesn’t connect here; an accidental line connecting a star to a constellation it did not belong to.

He traces the lines to each point, through each zone and region, past an area their maps did not and could not reveal. Leaning in he finds that one of the points, probably where a Bunker was originally registered, was wrongly pinned. He adjusts it to the correct corresponding Bunker.

When he looks around he finds Jongdae standing there, looking at him with an expression Minseok can’t rightly identify. He gives him a small smile, nodding at the trajectory.

‘There was a mistake,’ he explains, ‘Zone 129-F was updated.’

Jongdae walks over with their bowls of stew.

‘Smells great,’ Minseok says in thanks as he accepts his bowl. They sit together in silence, studying the map but not really seeing it.

‘Where do you plan on going?’ Minseok asks, breaking the silence Jongdae didn’t seem to know how to break.

‘Somewhere high up,’ Jongdae replies quietly, pushing the cubes of potato about his bowl. ‘The PuriZones have a limited range of movement- well, heights I guess.’

Minseok nods, thinking through Jongdae’s reasoning.

‘I uh, wanted to talk to you, about this,’ Jongdae continues, not looking up from his bowl.

‘You want me to go with you?’

Jongdae hesitates before he nods.

‘But I know you won’t.’

Minseok doesn’t reply immediately.

‘There’s…there’s still a lot that I don’t…I don’t know how to deal with,’ Minseok says, lowering his spoon and balancing it over the side. ‘So much I want to know more about.’

Jongdae smiles, glancing over at him.

‘You don’t have to explain it,’ he says quietly, understanding and acceptance in his eyes. Suddenly, there’s a lump in Minseok’s throat.

Swallowing thickly he asks, ‘When do you think you want to continue?’

‘Spring,’ Jongdae replies without pause but with an air of heaviness, as though confessing something he wish he didn’t have to. As though, like Minseok, he wishes he didn’t have to acknowledge the inevitable.

‘I think you’ll recover by then,’ Minseok grins. ‘No more swimming in the sea for us.’

Jongdae just looks at him for a moment before he bursts out laughing. But his laughter nearly turns hysterical. His spoon clatters a moment as he steadies himself, pushing his hands over his face.

‘Will you ask me to stay?’ he asks almost inaudibly.

Minseok gets up from his chair and envelopes Jongdae in his arms.

‘I know you won’t,’ Minseok whispers back.

*

They spend the winter quietly with each other. They don’t make a fuss of it. Minseok helps him prepare; they laugh, make jokes- Jongdae flirts badly while Minseok throws things at him. At night they lay side by side, watching the stars, talking quietly about random tidbits from their pasts, and hopeful wishes for the future.

Jongdae puts together an active network connecting previous PuriZone navigators and trackers, all across the zones and regions they could immediately access. They go out of the compound a few times as well, sometimes on foot, sometimes on transporters – they take samples from a variety of places, discover more areas in the region. One time, they nearly fall through a sunken region past some small hills- areas that were once probably cities with archways and bridges. They’re careful with where they step, and quietly, as though visiting a graveyard, they explore what they can of a relic of the past no longer creatable or possible.

There is decreased activity of both Survivors and other creatures as temperatures drop even more. One morning they wake up to snow-covered grounds. Minseok beats Jongdae as he rushes out first, his veins coursing with glee.

They build an incredibly pathetic and melting snowman, wheezing the whole way. It melts by noon but the next day the snow returns, and for a few days, they have fresh snow that lasts almost a full week. They don’t forget to run analysis on the snow of course, and Jongdae takes the complete lack of Strain as a good sign. They have snow ball fight, which was more of them throwing fistful of wet snow at each other rather than anything. Minseok splutters indignantly when Jongdae aims too accurately and hits him straight in the face with a perfectly globular snowball. 

It doesn’t taste significant in any way, but when Jongdae kisses away the frost that lingers on his lips, Minseok thinks it’s the closest he’s ever been to magic.

They salvage and go through the fallen PuriZone by the beach. Huge sections of it now lay spread out and undone in the lower hangars. In a safe and contained environment, they’re able to understand, if not fully comprehend, how the PuriZones were spreading active agents of the Strain.

Jongdae also works extensively on Chen, updating the android frequently as well as teaching Minseok important points regarding android-technology.

And despite the winter truly settling in, and the compounds covered in a layer of frost, they manage to sustain some crops in their greenhouse. Jongdae cleverly rewired parts salvaged from the PuriZone and used it as a humidifier under Minseok’s instructions that could be controlled and maintained by them through their screens.

They even expand the greenhouse. Minseok is planning on making an area a “hot-house” for more delicate seeds and plants.

Minseok wipes sweat off of his forehead- it was always significantly warmer inside the greenhouse, but there was definitely a change in the air. The early morning air was chilly of course, biting at Minseok’s skin as he took to running outside in the compounds. But by the afternoon, the air was mild, and working outdoors made them both sweat.

He bends down to check on the growth of the eggplants. They took to the soil incredibly well, and didn’t require extensive care. But here were several eggplants more than ready to be plucked. Happily, Minseok exits the greenhouse and enters the Bunker quickly. He’s stopped by Chen’s disapproving gestures to his feet and Minseok apologetically removes his dirt-caked boots by the entryway and calls for Jongdae.

He doesn’t answer so Minseok takes to searching for the other man. He finds him in the sunlit hallways leading to the gyms. The folded origami cranes hung about him, still in their flight, afloat in sunlight.

Jongdae loved this hallway- he said it probably framed the best parts of the scenery in the entirety of the Bunker and Minseok has to agree with him.

While Jongdae had respectfully watched Minseok fold one of the cranes, he did not attempt to make any himself.

‘These are yours,’ he had said, looking up at the birds, ‘I’ll find something to add.’

So he’s surprised that Jongdae is here. Leaning over the windows, intent in his posture. But he hears Minseok approaching and takes a step back, doing a spectacularly terrible job at looking casual.

‘What are you doing?’ Minseok eyes the windows and Jongdae suspiciously.

‘Taking notes!’

Minseok is aware that Jongdae is very empty handed.

‘…okay…’

‘Well- writing them anyways.’ Jongdae smiles. And it’s almost blinding. The sun seems to love him.

‘I think the eggplants are ready to be picked.’ Minseok manages to get out.

‘Then let’s go pick it!’ Jongdae exclaims energetically, taking Minseok’s hands in his and pulling him along. ‘Why are you not wearing shoes?’

‘Chen,’ Minseok replies in explanation. Jongdae just laughs.

The eggplants are waiting for them, ruddy skin a bright pop of colour against the cold dark soil.

‘I have no idea how to cook this,’ Minseok confesses somberly. It takes them 3 failed attempts at finally figuring out how to cook the eggplants deliciously.

A storm hits them for almost a whole week, melting what remained of the frost and snow- turning everything rather depressingly wet and damp. They don’t see the sun for nearly over 3 days straight, heavy clouds baring down upon them, the sea a raging monster that ravaged the coastline and pulled in the remains of the PuriZone like some starved being. Great forks of lightning weave through the deep grey purple clouds, sometimes striking down on the water, illuminating its depths. They observe how some streams widen, breaking through some of its natural pathways. The river is rough and fast, water grey and muddy at first but later a frothing white.

But when the storm fades away, and the rivers and streams gently reach the quiet seas, they find that winter has turned to reveal spring. When spring arrives fully, it’s quietly, gradually, and like the sunrise, all at once in a symphony of colours and fragrance, birthed from the ravages of the last winter storm.

The weeds in the compound are bright and soft, a multitude of wild flowers cropping up, hidden and asleep away from the cold, but now blooming under the warmth of the sun.

The air smells beautiful and every morning Minseok runs about the compound he discovers something new. One morning he gathers a bunch of the most colourful flowers and brings it back for Jongdae. His reaction has Minseok laughing fondly, allowing Jongdae to express his thanks in a multitude of kisses pressed all over his face. 

The air no longer bites at their skin, and they set out a date for Jongdae.

‘You won’t take Chen?’ Minseok asks in surprise.

Jongdae shakes his head with a smile. ‘I think he’s happier here.’

Minseok had wondered, through winter and as they entered spring, if he would be ready to go with Jongdae. But somehow, he finds that he can’t – this Bunker was still home, it was still _his_, and he wasn’t ready to let go just yet.

Jongdae still chooses to take his own customized transporter but with added features, as well as the one-man transporter, secured inside towards the back. Minseok makes sure that he’s well stocked on all the supplies he could ever need. Food, filters, converters, transformers, tools, medical kits (a lot of it), and a carefully selected variety of seeds.

‘Here,’ Minseok hands Jongdae a cord identical to his own, but at the end of it dangles a peach-pit. It’s completely dried now, held together by a simple and clever wiring that wraps around it and twists upwards to form a loop.

‘Is- is this the same one? That Chen gave me?’ Jongdae asks in disbelief, taking the cord from Jongdae almost reverently.

Minseok nods, ‘You were holding it when you came here. I uh, I guess, I thought at the time, you would want to keep it safe.’

Jongdae hands the cord back to Minseok, turning around on the bed, quietly asking Minseok to tie it up for him. Minseok adjusts the length to Jongdae’s preference, securing the knot carefully. He then turns around, drawing Minseok down against himself as he lays back on the bed. Jongdae’s hair is still wet from his shower, and he knows his hair will curl tomorrow morning, sticking up the side as it always did, and Minseok will flatten it down for him as they eat their breakfast.

‘When you’re ready, come find me,’ Jongdae says quietly, his forehead leaning against Minseok’s. ‘Chen will find me.’

Minseok tells himself that he’s not going to cry- he won’t. He has said goodbyes before- permanent, and heartbreaking. But this was not permanent – this would not be forever. Not even when Jongdae’s the one with damp eyes as he runs back out of his transporter to hug him hard one last time, their hearts beating harshly in their chests, aching to be closer. 

‘Take all the time you need, all the time you want,’ Jongdae kisses the words onto his skin, forming promises that Minseok would be able to feel there in the quiet of the night, half-asleep, ‘I’ll be there.’

Minseok smiles into their kiss, the warmth of their bodies, the soothing calm of the night around them falls around them like a blanket.

‘I’ll be waiting there.’

*

Spring is beautiful.

Minseok experiences it for the first time in it’s entirety- with unpredictable showers of rain that cool the air, with burst of life small and big, blossoming all around him, with the birth of little insects and critters he’s never seen before- some cute and harmless, some not quite so. It’s during this time Minseok carefully opens the dome over the outer and inner-rings. His sparrows never fly far. Always returning. Minseok worries that their lack of exposure to biodiversity will impede on their survival but so far, as summer rolls in, they were doing quite well. But they always returned, flocking around Chen who still could not stop feeding them at every other time of the day until Minseok had to actually hide the bird-feed supply.

Summer makes Minseok sick- he’s not quite used to the warmth, and with the changes in temperatures outside and inside, Minseok takes it slow for the first weeks, battling a runny nose, dry cough, and sensitive eyes. When he does recover however, Minseok enjoys summer. But somehow, he finds that monsoon, the _real _monsoon season, is his favourite. He’s always loved the rain- but somehow, even more so now, because of everything it has brought to him. Because he’s opened so many windows around the Bunker, Minseok has to run around, closing them all to make sure no puddle formed. The Roombas all zoom about as though hassled, bumping into each other and ricocheting around in a daze. It makes Minseok laugh. Chen hurriedly goes to close the windows at the lobby and Minseok runs to the gym. He doesn’t quite remember if he had closed the windows in there the other day. Quickly jogging through the coolly lit window-lined hallway, his origami cranes casting soft faint shadows all around the place. The gym is already secured, which in hindsight probably explained why the hallway had some condensation forming on the windows to start off with. So Minseok walks back slowly, looking at the rain through the slightly blurred glass of the windows when he notices something odd. With a small frown, Minseok takes a step closer to the window closest to him, squinting just a little at where the condensation was thickest on the windows.

_‘What are you doing?’ _

_‘Taking notes!’_

_ ‘…okay…’_

_‘Well- writing them anyways.’ _

A bubble of laughter erupts from inside of him. Written on the glass, visible only because of the condensation is _‘Minseok, remember to drink water’._

‘What?’ Minseok whispers to himself, cheeks almost hurting from the force of his smile. His eyes move to the space around the writing and he finds _more_.

‘_This is a drawing of the flower you first gave me.’_

_‘Your bed hair is fluffier than mine but it’s too cute to fix.’_

_‘I love your hands- life-saving, gentle, comforting, warm – so perfect to hold.’_

He hurries ahead, scouring the next panel of glass, breathing up against it until he’s dizzy and surrounded by messages. This is what Jongdae had meant when he said he was writing notes. Minseok hadn’t been able to put two and two together at the time.

Carefully bracing himself, he breathes against the glass that isn’t covered in condensation. With the date written below it: _‘You looked so cute today.’_

_‘I think the snow suits you best.’_

_‘Maybe I’m biased because I love the snow?’_

_‘When you hum it’s both the most distracting and most soothing thing ever. How do you do it?‘_

_‘Pretty. The prettiest. The most handsome. Ah, sometimes when I look at you I blush- thank god you never notice. _

_But I do notice when **you **blush- hehehe, makes me happy.‘_

_‘Genuinely don’t understand why you think Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel is a **comedy**\- that book is dark?!?’_

_‘your cheeks are so soft- like bread. Yeah. Bread cheeks. You have bread cheeks.’_

_‘I can’t believe that I know you- that we’re here, together._

_Can’t believe that I can kiss you.’_

‘_I miss you.’_

‘I miss you too.’

*

_‘Why did you do this?!’_

_‘I wanted to tell you before-‘_

_‘-before I heard from the Consulate?!’_

_‘Yes. It’s-‘_

_‘-you **can’t **do this!’_

_‘Your name is not on the charter! The council-’_

_‘I know it’s not! We both knew! Ma knew that! Mum knew that too!’ _

_‘You were the best thing that happened to us,’ Minseok whispers, hugging his brother tight. ‘I promised both ma and mum that I would take care of you- that I would do everything I could.’_

_‘Why didn’t you tell me? I would have stayed with you.’ He cries out, gripping onto Minseok with shaking hands._

_‘When you came into our lives, it was like we were finally complete.’ Minseok tells him quietly, ‘When Ma started getting sick, if it weren’t for you, I don’t think mum nor I could have done what we had to- and for me, especially after mum died as well. I wouldn’t have been able to continue if you weren’t with me.’_

_‘You would have,’ Minhyung shakes his head, shoulder shaking. _

_‘No, I wouldn’t have,’ Minseok confesses honestly before holding his brother a little away so he could look at him properly. Look at the young man before him- grown and strong and so full of life that had strived to live through so much- a young man who had so much before him._

_‘You were meant to live. And you **will**. You will go past this place, and like what you did for me, for ma, for mum- you will bring life there.’_

*

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Author’s Notes)
> 
> Yo I don’t swim and I have a massive fear of the ocean/sea but I think it’s safe to say please do not go into the sea during winter even if the winter isn’t too cold especially at night unless you’re Minseok and Jongdae living in a dystopian world  
And yes, Mark Lee is Minseok’s younger brother in this *nods wisely*  
AND THERE WILL BE AN EPILOGUE CHAPTER NO ONE YELL AT ME *Baekhyun voice* I’M SENSTIVE OKAY  
Also just in case anyone has questions, I think it’s important that people (in this case characters) learn to grow into being by themselves. Of course having support with others around you is also important, relying on others is not a sign of weakness. It absolutely isn’t and we should all learn to share and listen to and with each other.  
But for many things in life, coming to understand, to realize, to cope, and to grow as an individual after learning something so monumentally profound, is often a journey you need to take by yourself. Well at least for me.   
It’s also kinda uhhhh, for me that is, I often find it frustrating when in movies or media we see two individual characters who just somehow immediately form one extremely codependent relationship based on a sort of nearly toxic romance between them. In this story I didn’t want them to be like that, I wanted them to both have their individuality, acceptance, growth, and realization expand without the complete influence of each other if you know what that means?   
Their romance, their love, their respect for each other- it stems from a deep and mutual understanding of wanting to better oneself first, to first heal, learn, be more of yourself from and knowing that giving each other that time to do so is probably one of the most profoundly moving things you can do for each other.  
So on that note!!!!!!!!!!!  
Thank you for reading this so far, and thank you again for the comments!! The epilogue will be short, and I’ll update it in the coming week! Thank you again for reading!!!!


	7. 01110000011100100110111101101101011010010111001101100101

Leaves fall gently on smooth floors.

They’re not dying- just a result of the early morning breeze rustling through tall canopy, spread wide and high. The sunrise filters through in gentle hues of gold, promising a good day.

Spring is in the air, a tranquility that is definitely seasonal, and one that beckoned everyone who felt it to go beyond and to explore.

Vines and climbers grow in abundance over walls and pillars. Some areas are nearly entirely engulfed – doorways locked and sealed, no longer needed or used. Windows are closed- and maybe one day in the distant future, they will open as persistent fingers pry past the seals, growing slowly until they claim their rightful space. But for now, young ferns and climbers blossom around the ledges, creating natural curtains.

The lower levels are locked up, air vents and passages sealed tight and compartments within carefully and neatly organized. But there’s one area that’s still open- the passageway has been cleared up, records and files stored away and saved in several places just to make sure.

Fresh spring flowers in a glass tumbler are placed by the doorway. Around the flowers are clean pebbles, bowls of soft dark sand, little shells, packets of seeds, and three carefully folded paper cranes.

Minseok is sitting before this little arrangement of odds and ends, dressed in his bio-suit, his helmet next to him. Chen is walking around in the back, observing the many marble plaques inscribed with refined etchings of names and dates.

The final paper crane is white, and when he finishes it, places it next to the orange, blue, and red cranes.

He leans back on his hands, looking up at the half-pillar. It’s still sealed neatly- untouched for 10 years.

‘I couldn’t say goodbye before…’ Minseok breathes out, ‘But now I can.’

Quietly getting up and brushing off the dust from his pant legs, he looks down at the smooth plaque one last time before turning around.

‘Ready?’ he asks Chen.

The android simply makes his way around other similar half-pillars in this softly lit atrium.

As the last keeper of this Bunker, Minseok still wanted to make sure his duties would hold up even with him gone. So he seals the burial atrium, locking it securely.

One day, in the future, when nature, age, and time gradually wear into this place, white flowers will blossom outside of the doors, continuing a careful tribute of memories that slept within.

One day, the steps Minseok takes will be hidden completely, rain and sun and wind and nature taking turn to slowly cover and transform familiar places into places of hiding, places of rebirth. The stairs will be overrun with strong roots from trees free from their restraints, towering high and might. The wind will push one down during a wild summer storm, breaching through the lobbies that will house the songs of birds both known and unknown. Wild brambles will pour out over onto the floors, the rain and sun encouraging it. They will spread slowly to the hallway of high windows, covering messages with leaves and flowers, breathing in the words there and blossoming into colour and fragrance. The faded origami cranes are preserved in a fragile state, their colours bleeding into fruits and berries to be taken up to the sky, finally freed, their wings soaring high up.

But for now everything is still the same.

Minseok takes one last study of the place; he hasn’t forgotten anything important and the Bunker’s archive system is securely contained not just in Chen’s database but also in Minseok’s drives. All of the different Bunkers, data Jongdae saved and procured from the PuriZones he brought down- they’re all saved and would be saved, for as long as possible.

And Minseok hesitates a little, but he keeps the doorway to the main archive accessible. Just in case anyone seeking shelter came by, they would find it here.

5 years ago, the idea of anyone seeking refuge would have seemed impossible. But now, Minseok’s not too sure anymore. After all, it was exactly what he was about to do himself.

His transporter is ready and waiting for him outside in the compound. It’s empty there now- save for the many saplings and trees Minseok has situated and planted all around the place. There’s a burst of movement as a flock of sparrows leave their nesting tree and come to flutter about Chen. The android doesn’t have any bird feed so he’s not immediately swarmed.

‘They’ll be fine,’ Minseok reassures the android. ‘This is where they belong after all.’

Climbing into the transporter, neatly outfitted with supplies and emergency packages, Minseok waits for Chen to climb in as well. Chen’s manual charger is also set up in the back- just a cautionary move on Minseok’s part. He wasn’t an android maintainer and even though he learnt a lot, he didn’t trust himself to attempt something if anything would go wrong.

When he reaches the ridge of the closest hill, Minseok slows down and turns just a little.

He can make out the leafy canopy of the trees in the outer-rings, now quietly waving in the morning breeze above the open dome roof. The compound is a wild and lush field of shrubs and bushes and climbers and all sorts of plants growing at random freely.

‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’ Minseok asks before smiling at the android who simply looks ahead instead.

Still smiling, Minseok turns the transporter forward once more and quietly leaves with the morning sunlight.

*

The leaves are yellow and red now, and Minseok has travelled further than he thought possible, but still not enough to where he needs to be. But he’s not hurried. He wants to explore as well. He wants to see, to experience, and to understand a world so foreign to him, yet one that belonged to him.

When he looks up at the sky, he no longer feels insignificantly small- overwhelmed and readily lost in the never ending expanse around him. Instead, Minseok feels himself growing, finally _being_.

He liked to walk, have his transporter follow after him quietly and slowly. If he felt unsafe or was doubtful of the terrain, he would hop back inside immediately. He’s not gone without incident. Small hordes of Survivors, wild and aggressive creatures, strange sinkholes that Minseok only dared to explore for a few minutes, revealing buried structures of a past long forgotten. But he’s also seen a lot to take heart from.

There are fallen PuriZones at random, some incredibly old, some relatively recent- and all of these areas are blooming and teeming with life. During an autumn, Minseok finds a still active PuriZone high up in the sky. The area is dead with the rain and it takes him nearly 2 weeks to find a corresponding Bunker.

It’s an old one, and inside is still clean and maintained despite there being no signs of life. Minseok finds the last keeper inside what appeared to be her bedroom. Minseok surmises that she must have died of old age, and naturally, in her sleep.

Minseok finds their burial atrium and after an extended search and careful research, manages to safely cremate the keeper. He finds her registry and with care and respect, places her within the half-pillar, next to a few more urns in there.

He takes time to rest in this Bunker for a while, renew and refresh his charging panels as well as run a regular check up on Chen. He takes down the PuriZone, and the rain gives way for an early winter. He uploads the maps from this area into his own archive and expands on his maps. Minseok walks about the Bunker, looking into the inner and outer-rings.

He stays until the worst of the cold is gone, the snow still intact but no longer storming. He times the system in the Bunker to quietly release the security latches on the dome top as well as the lobby windows for spring. He pockets a few of the fragrant pomelo fruits that grew in this Bunker. He would dry the seeds to be planted in the future.

A little before spring, he arrives at the borders of what appeared to be a city that stretched out over a large delta. The sea levels submerged quite a lot of the city, but it didn’t appear as though it was nature that broke this cosmopolitan structure down. Minseok’s scanners tell him that though old, the radiation was still unsafe.

He only stays for a while, safe inside his transporter, simply watching this fading fossil slowly erode, swallowed slowly by both time and the ocean.

He keeps heading north, though sometimes taking occasional detours towards something or someplace that interested him. Sometimes, mostly in the summer, Minseok would sleep out on the roof of the transporter. Chen would stand guard at the hood, occasionally attracting small birds to himself.

Minseok would just trace and track the stars, drawing fanciful shapes across the sky, connecting them together. He even witnesses several shooting stars- even a bright green one that makes him gasp in shock.

Towards the middle of the summer, Chen suddenly stops him in their trek through a tall green field. Minseok nearly bolts back inside the transporter, his senses on high alert. But it’s not to alert him about Survivors.

He just stands there for almost 5 minutes, unmoving, unresponsive.

Worriedly, Minseok is thinking of maybe bringing the android in for a manual recharge when he suddenly raises his hand, and points.

Minseok follows the direction he’s pointing at- west of where they were headed.

‘Are you sure?’ Minseok asks, his heart suddenly speeding up.

Chen simply turns in his spot and walks forward in the direction he pointed out.

‘Well…okay.’

They reach beautiful rolling hills by the end of summer.

There are no signs of past civilization here- no signs of fallen PuriZones. There’s an aged and wild way in which nature has taken over here- it’s almost unforgiving. Minseok has to readjust their path many times, going about long routes.

Just as they fully enter autumn, they find themselves in a wide valley, a long white river snaking through. Chen seems to keep by the river, following it upstream. Minseok simply follows after the android, breathing in the air that is cold and sweet and night. The mountains are steadily getting taller and higher- less trees in their height, more exposed rock faces that stretch down to form occasional cliffs and a few narrow and high waterfalls that land in pools Minseok can somehow never locate.

They’re walking through a wide clearing when Minseok comes across a rather odd sight. Stones stacked in a circle, raised up to form a pit of sorts. Inside are dried and practically falling apart wood bits.

Something stirs up in him- he can sense it- he’s close. So close.

They hurry, as though spurred by this discovery. And not a few hours later, Minseok and Chen quite literally walk straight into an impossibly old living community.

It’s like walking through a time Minseok has only ever read about, has watched in documentaries and lessons.

Because the huts look clean, albeit extremely old- like someone’s been here. Random elements of the structures are missing- not in a way that suggested breakage or aging; but rather, items have been neatly and strategically removed. From the side of a wall, a neat mound of broken bricks are stacked; but not enough to have comprised of the wall they came from. The good bricks are definitely missing.

And so are building stones, construction metals, pipes, paneling, and other miscellaneous items that Minseok is purposefully keeping an eye out for.

But perhaps what’s most telling is the squat builder android neatly dividing and arranging pebbles from a dried up stream. Minseok’s breath is caught in his lungs- he can’t quite breathe for a few seconds.

And that seems to have caught the little droids attention. It stops what it’s doing and Minseok looks back at Chen who gives the small droid a wave.

Minseok hangs a little in the back, trying his best to remain calm, waiting as Chen walks up to the droid and they are able to connect their systems. After some minutes, Chen picks up the squat droid and walks over to Minseok.

‘Hey little guy,’ Minseok smiles at the droid, ‘Mind if I access your system for a moment?’

There’s soft whirring sounds and unplugging one of the RJ-plugs coiled inside Chen’s chest compartment, Minseok connects it to the small jack under the side flap of the droid.

After a few seconds, Minseok receives the data on the squat droid.

‘I just need to follow your homing beacon,’ Minseok explains to the small droid that swings its short broad legs about.

With shaking hands, Minseok taps on the newly transferred data. Almost at once, a massive map unfolds before Minseok- the final connecting piece.

And not too far- probably a days walk from here, was a small bright light in the map. Minseok’s heart skips a hopeful beat.

‘Thank you,’ he smiles at the droid before Chen places it down gently. And as though an after thought, pats the droid on its dome-like head.

‘We’re almost there,’ Minseok grins at Chen, ‘Are you excited?’

Chen obviously doesn’t say anything but he simply tucks back in the RJ-plug into his chest compartment as though getting ready to move on.

There’s a strange apprehension building in him- fear and worry that he’ll find something he cannot face. Suddenly, fear grips him. But the droid bumps against his boots, shaking him out of his sudden fear. Minseok knows that the droid being here didn’t necessarily mean anything. He’s not even sure if this meant what he hoped it did. Because it’s been years now- years, months, days, hours and…

-and Minseok has never stopped missing him.

They walk through the empty town. Wild plants grow in great abundance, strange and yet somehow familiar too. Sturdy trees, definitely much older than any Minseok has seen on his way up. And to the distance towards Minseok’s left, high mountain cliffs soar upwards, and peaking over the edge are great and old looking trees.

It’s stunning- like Minseok was continuously walking through a new world.

Past this forgotten establishment, following the white rushing river again, Minseok finds himself looking upon a stunningly blue glacier. The glacier is hemmed in by white stones and pebbles. Minseok and Chen take a break here. Making sure that his transporter was still following him, Minseok waits for it to roll up and then makes himself a small meal. He sits on a smooth flat rock overlooking the glacier and soaks in the atmosphere. Chen walks about, picking at the pebbles occasionally and even attempting to make it skip over the surface. After Minseok is done with his small meal, he goes up to the android and manages to get 4 skips in his stone.

Still following the river, Minseok makes his way through the basin. The sun has set and the basin narrower and the mountain cliffs taller and more rocky structures frequently push through all around. Minseok is wondering if he should stop for the night- definitely close to midnight now when Chen abruptly turns to their right and quickly makes his way to where the tall rocks were increasing in both density and height.

‘Chen?’ Minseok calls out, his voice echoing slightly. The android doesn’t reply or reappear, so Minseok goes to where Chen had disappeared, his steps quiet and his senses alert. Pushing on his visor quickly, Minseok adjust the headlamps and directs it ahead of him. Turning the rocky outcrop, Minseok finds himself stopping abruptly.

But it’s not Survivors or any random creatures.

Instead, it’s a familiar transporter.

It’s covered in dust, and clearly hasn’t been used in a long while. Suddenly, any idea of resting for the night flies over Minseok’s head.

Chen is standing there, as though pleased with himself.

‘Everything clear?’ Minseok asks out of habit.

Chen beeps out an affirmative.

Minseok rounds about the transporter- finding familiar dents and new ones too. Though the transporter has not been driven in a while, there are neatly stacked supply crates to the side- a somewhat rough but well made table of sorts as well as a leg bench.

Minseok grins to himself, walking up to the random bit of furniture. Carefully, he sits on the log bench, softening the light of his headlamp. There’s clear markings on the table top, signs of use.

‘Almost there,’ Minseok whispers.

The transporter is unlocked. The energy levels are still high, all the functions still operational. The smaller transporter is not here, and neither is the cot, or a few more items Minseok has memorized in this space. After some inspection, Minseok is ready to leave the area. But first of all, he brings his own transporter here and parks it. Shutting down the engine and keeping the solar-panel activated, Minseok packs up only what he needs and takes out his smaller one-man transporter.

Chen walks ahead, small lights from his torso illuminate the path ahead. But Minseok’s own headlamps, as well as the transporter now tagging behind him brighten the path a bit more effectively.

‘I’m sorry for pushing us into the night,’ Minseok tells Chen, ‘I just- I don’t think I could sleep now.’

Chen doesn’t say anything but picks up his pace a bit more as though in understanding.

Walking at night has always been a strange combination of exhilarating and scary- even after all of this time being out here. Minseok looks up, still in awe of the magnitude of the stars above him despite seeing it every night.

The wind picks up a little, and it’s just a little chilly. Minseok surmises that he prefers travelling in autumn for sure; summers have been brutal.

At this time, the mountains are dark against the sky, though the snowy peaks gleam in an almost translucent manner.

Chen picks up speed as well, now clearly guiding them forward. Minseok doesn’t mind- he can’t quite think at the moment, let alone make decisions regarding their direction. So he follows the android wordlessly through the quiet night. They reach a narrow passageway up a gravelly slope between what appeared to be two mountain faces. It’s barely 5 feet across but the path is cleared and obviously maintained.

Stepping out of it, they arrive to the other side of the mountain range quite suddenly. Minseok hadn’t realized how far up they were, and how somehow, they were right at the edge of the world.

Because before him, sloping downwards were mountains and hills and valleys and glaciers spread all around. The light of the moon, and a faint light growing from the east ahead seems to watch over this promise of a new world.

Something nudges at his feet and startled, Minseok looks down to find the droid from before now quietly rolling past. That’s when Minseok sees it.

A house.

There was a house- dark in this lighting, but shaped like a home, built and created for one purpose.

Behind the house, connected to it, is an old and very different looking PuriZone of sorts. It looks nothing like any of the PuriZones Minseok has studied about or seen. It’s definitely smaller- appeared almost like one of the old space-stations Pre-Strain era. The main body of the PuriZone spreads across in 4 tunnel-like directions, each end softly lit from within. And spreading over huge sections of this remade PuriZone are great growths of bougainvillea bushes and climbers, their flowers ruddy even in this dim light.

Minseok has to pause.

He can’t help the laughter bubbling inside his chest- nor can he help the tears in his eyes. He had hoped, dreamed- and here he was at last.

And suddenly, years of exhaustion hits him and Minseok nearly falls to his knees. He had found it at last. He was here at last. He can’t move, he just keeps watching instead. The sky lightens up significantly, this new world awakening around him in soft muted colours. And Minseok is able to see more details around this home. All around it are trees. Apple trees, and close to the house, a peach tree.

Just as Minseok’s about to walk down, now just seeing soft reedy grass all about the area, a square of light opens and a figure steps out.

Then as though triggered by him, small movement erupts all around. Androids, droids, bots- a hodgepodge of all of them start to move about. And Minseok finds himself moving too, exhaustion lifting away.

He’s halfway down when he starts to notice more details. There’s a few androids, mechanical bots all around the place, clearly helping him with farm that’s well seasoned and primed. There’s a wonderful greenhouse to the side as well.

Jongdae is there, his back turned to Minseok, a familiar outline that begs to be filled in once more.

With a cold rush of realization, Minseok realizes that he doesn’t know what to say. What to do. Should he just walk up? He stops walking, Chen still walking forward and ahead. The sky is lighter now, and Minseok can see how to the side, the mountain range is slowly lighting up as the sun rises, turning white snowy peaks into glowing rose gold.

Abruptly, Jongdae stills- as though sensing someone behind him.

Minseok holds his breath without meaning to- suddenly fearful though he doesn’t know why.

Sunlight floods the valley below as Jongdae turns around.

He looks good, hair a little long and curling slightly. His skin is freckled and tanned on the top parts of his face. He looks achingly familiar- he looks good, at peace, and _rested. _He looks older too- but so does Minseok.

Jongdae has some new scars, stories he will undoubtedly tell him in great detail. Minseok has several he can share too. When he takes a step forward, disbelief and joy arresting his features, he’s still limping but it’s not bad. He’s wearing Minseok’s shirt- carefully looked after, a small patch covering a possible tear.

‘Jongdae,’ Minseok whispers, too quiet for him to hear but somehow Minseok knows he’s heard it.

They both start running at the same time. Chen hastens to run as well, quickly outpacing Minseok. Jongdae stops to greet the android and he’s _laughing. _Minseok cannot believe he’s hearing it now- can’t believe he’s hearing Jongdae laugh, seeing him laugh- watch the way his eyes wrinkle into crescents.

Minseok slows, now just walking ahead on the gravel-stone pathway intentionally laid out. Jongdae pats Chen’s shoulder a few times before also walking towards him.

His smile is the same.

They stop some feet from each other, just…just taking each other in.

Suddenly, Minseok feels self-conscious. He has no idea what he looks like- his hair is most definitely a mess. He’s wearing half a bio-suit, jacket tied haphazardly around his waist. He only then realizes he’s abandoned his bag and other stuff at the passageway behind him.

But it’s not just him who’s clearly feeling this way. Because Jongdae self-consciously pats at his hair, eyes widening in comic worry. It makes Minseok laugh out loud, but it’s replaced almost immediately by a somewhat intense feeling of shyness at the way Jongdae’s expression softens, his eyes gentle and just filled with the same light that has illuminated Minseok’s nights for so many years.

‘Hey,’ he smiles, breathless, as though he couldn’t quite believe Minseok was here.

Around his neck, a worn but strong cord still held a small and withered pit in a metal wire coil.

‘Hi.’ Minseok manages to get out.

Jongdae exhales out a small laugh.

‘I’m uh-‘ Minseok begins, taking a small step forward. ‘I’m new. To these parts.’

Jongdae takes a step forward as well, hands in agitated fists to his side, as though restraining himself.

‘I know these parts quite well,’ Jongdae tells him, voice wavering a little as though he was about to cry.

Minseok takes a steadying breath, cheeks hurting from the force of his smile.

‘Yeah?’ he takes another step forward, ‘That’s great. I uh-I was- I was looking for something. Someone.’

They’re standing right before each other now.

‘It’s taken me a while,’ Minseok whispers, ‘But I found myself ready.’

Jongdae abruptly covers his face with his hands, the heel of his palms pressing into his eyes as he takes a shuddering breath.

‘Did you find it?’ he asks, lowering his hands, breaking out into a breathless sort of smile.

Minseok nods fervently, ‘Yeah- he’s been waiting for a while now. And I’ve found him.’

Jongdae’s arms come to wrap around him and Minseok feels it again.

‘I’ve found him again.’

Minseok feels himself suddenly being lifted- he lets out a small shriek, holding onto Jongdae desperately, laughter escaping him in exalted breaths.

‘I’m so-‘ Jongdae laughs out, lowering him down, holding him tight as though afraid to let him go. ‘-_Minseok-.’_

Minseok nods, their cheeks pressed against each others.

‘Yeah-,’ Minseok presses his hands to Jongdae’s face, their noses touching, ‘I’m here.’

Closing his eyes, Minseok allows himself to sink into that feeling again.

He was here at last. Shelter.

_Home_.

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Author’s Notes)
> 
> The time lapse would be like, 4-5 years from the last chapter to this epilogue! Also counting the time it took Minseok to travel around- it’d be over a year of him travelling!  
The area Jongdae lives in now is based heavily on my dad’s village right at the center of the annapurna mountain basin! It’s called Manang, and it’s in Nepal if anyone wants a general idea of what that might look like. God I just want to sometimes give everything up, give up 3D, give up all of this messy endeavor of trying to survive a capitalist world and just go LIVE in the mountains and grow my own potatoes, have a yak for milk and cheese and butter, and live off of solar powered energy.   
This whole year has been such  
A  
Strange and painful and reflective year.   
It’s so strange when I think of how I wrote this and summarized it way before covid hit and it had all seemed like such a “sci-fi fantasy” thing of impossible outcomes in a future that seems so unlikely yet here we are.   
Writing has been difficult for me this year despite all the time I’ve had, and I feel like most of my time is spent just trying my hardest not to simply give up with everything and I know that’s how so many of us are feeling.   
I hope that though the updates were sporadic, I was able to help distract you from the struggle of trying to survive in this strange new world of uncertainty we’ve found ourselves in.   
Also major thank you to Jongdae for the most beautiful album ever created that inspired so much of the mood and tone of this story. I just really *makes a tight fist* love him so much and want everything good for him. Sometimes when I think about Jongdae my heart physically hurts – he’s just so T_T  
Thank you so much for reading!!!!!   
If you want to read a fun [CBX horror fic based off of BuzzFeed Unsolved please click here!!! ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21106832)  
If you want some [mythical BaekXing please go here! ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24035479)  
Or if you want to read a horrifying slow-burn plot heavy action sci-fi thriller fantasy mess of a [bts space-au fic, click here!!! ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10972623)  
Thank you again!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s notes  
So I don’t know whats suddenly possessed me to start chaptered fics out of nowhere but uhhhh enjoy?????????????? This idea for this fic cAME TO ME IN A FUCKING DREAM I’M NOT KIDDING  
It was like watching a whole ass movie in my dream  
12/10 would recommend  
Wish I could visually air-drop my dreams so that you guys could picture it better but I hope this suffices.  
I am BACK with another sci-fi xiuchen I hope you enjoy!!!  
Come scream at me on [twitter!!!](https://twitter.com/Unclssfd_Senpai)  
[ binary code translator here ](http://www.webestools.com/text-to-binary-converter-txt2bin-bin2txt-online-encoder-ascii-secret-code-binary-encoder-text.html)


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